17 Years of Homelessness Unresolved for South Ossetian IDPs Family in Akhaltsikhe

Nobody Takes Care of the Shalutashvili Family- IDPs from Tskhinvali Region

Gulo Kokhodze, Akhaltsikhe

The Family of Jimsher Shalutashvili and Tsitsino Zedginidze has long suffered from the status and plight of IDPs from Tskhinvali Region, which first resulted from Georgian- South Ossetian conflict in 1991, and they have lost their home for the second time. The house the Shatulashvilis had been sheltered was sold at public auction for a rather low price of a few hundred dollars.

“Justice was sold that day,” said Tsitsino Zedginidze.

The Shatulashvili family of four who had been displaced from the village of Akhalsheni, Znauri District has been living in the city of Akhaltsikhe since 1991 with the status IDP. In the conflict of 1991 upward of 1000 people were killed in the fighting and 23,000 ethnic Georgians were forced to fell the region and settle in other parts of Georgia.

The Shatulashvilis lived on 42 Tabukashvili Street, Akhaltsikhe in the former library. The family found this place on its own after having had changed several flats that they had been renting.

“The flat we had been renting before moving to the library building was sold. The house prices have risen in Akhaltsikhe similar to other cities of Georgia. We could not buy another apartment,” said Tsitsino Zedginidze.

There was an office of an organization in the former library building.

“I met with Misha Ketiladze, chairperson of this organization. I told him about my problems and he kindly agreed and allowed us to live in the building. We took a credit from the bank and repaired the house. We had been living there since last year. I applied to the city municipality for granting official document that would prove that the apartment in this building was ours. Tengiz Zedginidze, the head of Akhaltsikhe State Registration and Privatization Division told us that we should not have moved to that house as the former library was to be auctioned off," stated Tsitsino Zedginidze.

Mrs. Zedginidze sent an appeal to the Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation and the Georgian President, Mikhail Saakashvili.

“My letter and motion of the Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation was sent to Property Management Department. The Department registered us in our apartment,” Tsitsino Zedginidze told us.

However, the building was placed on auction on September 13, 2005 and it did not make any difference. The bidding price was 7318 GEL. Two candidates, the Shatulashvilis and Khachapuridze, an inhabitant of city Akhaltsikhe applied. However, none of them were capable of buying the building and the IDPs remained in the former library.

The next auction was held on December 6, 2005. For some reasons the Shatulashvilis were barred from being able to participate in the auction.

Khachapuridze had no rivals this time and he bought the building for mere 276 US Dollars.

This begs the key question, why a 7318 GEL lot was sold for 276 US Dollars, remains to be unanswered.

Tengiz Zedginidze does not work as the head of Akhaltsikhe State Registration and Privatization Division any more. He now works for the Division of Economics and Infrastructural Development.

Tengiz Zedginidze declined to make comment and said he could not talk to us because he was late for a meeting. It appears that he took off all responsibilities when he left the position of the head of State Registration and Privatization Division.

Our short dialogue started in the Gamgeoba (body of local government) office lobby and continued in Zedginidze’s chamber only because I asked him so.

“I have nothing to do with this case. As for the rumors I do not comment on them,” said rather irritated Tengiz Zedginidze.

“I can not comment on all rumors that spear in the city,” irritated and nervous Zedginidze left the chamber and went to the lobby.

No one has visited the Shatulashvilis in order to expel them. However, they live in the persistent fear of forced eviction.

According to Presidential Decree #5 dating 05.01.2002 in case of privatization of non residential area where the IDPs live the purchaser must move the IDPs from the area only when the post conflict situation is settled in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) regions, or at such time that alternative lodging area can be allocated for the again displaced IDPs.