People Are Still Taken Hostage in Samegrelo

People are still taken hostage in Samegrelo. Two similar accidents have taken place this week. On November 29, four armed and masked robbers attacked Mikheil Chanturia's family in the village of Etseri in Tsalenjikha District. The robbers demanded money. They had known that the Chanturias had a large amount of money at home since they had sold honey several days before. The neighbors called the district police when the robbery was taking place. The police laid siege on the Chanturias' house. The robbers seized Mikheil Chanturia as they fired at police in response. Tengiz Gunava, the Chief of the Regional Police Department, arrived with the tactical response unit to the scene half an hour later.

The robbers did not intend to surrender. Gunava began negotiating with them. The robbers demanded immunity from prosecution during the one hour of talks. Gunava agreed to their demand. The robbers were Gocha Tsimintia and Zaza Tsimintia, residents of the village of Etseria.  Others included Gocha Shakia, an IDP from Gali District, and Ruslan Mikava, a resident of Jvari. Zaza Tsimintia was already wanted for robbery. The robbers turned over to police an automatic gun and four bombs. Mikheil Chanturia refused to speak with journalists except one TV channel. Chanturia said that the police did not want him talking with journalists.

In another incident in the village of Akhalsofeli in Zugdidi District, the robbers tried to attack and burglarize the house of Zina and Tina Dgebuadze. The Dgebuadze sisters are very old women in their late seventies. After the robbery, they asked their relative, Irakli Kantaria, to stay with them at night. On December 1 around 8:30 PM, the same robbers got hold of Kantaria at the gate and forced him into the house. The young man resisted the robbers, and consequently the Dgebuadze sisters and Kantaria's father heard noises.  Kantaria's father fired a gun in the air. The police promptly arrived on the scene.  Among them included Chief of the Zugdidi Police Department, Koba Narsia. The robbers had already kidnapped Kantaria and threatened to kill him. Later they demanded jewelry and 20,000 USD in exchange for Kantaria. Finally, the robbers left Kantaria in the Uchashona woods outside the village. The police found the victim there. Although the police were looking for the robbers until morning, they could not find them. As for the victim himself, he was being questioned during the whole night. The journalists could not meet him.

Nato Berulava, Zugdidi