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Compiled by Londa Mindiashvili
Tuesday, July 14
Labour Party brings action against Ugulava

Kviris Palitra reports that the Georgian Labour Party has brought an action against Gigi Ugulava, the Mayor of Tbilisi. According to the party’s one of the leaders Kakha Dzagania City Park, which is responsible for car parking in Tbilisi, is robbing citizens and then passing on this illegally-taken money to Ugulava. The Georgian Labour Party has appealed to the Mayor of Tbilisi to stop robbing people and instead create jobs for them and employ them.



Subari demands an investigation

Kviris Palitra writes that Sozar Subari, the Public Defender, is condemning the interference, insults and hindrances which representatives of different branches of the Government are engaging in. His statement to this effect was a comment on the behaviour of Gizo Tavadze, the Director of the Culture, Monument Protection and Sport Office of the Kutaisi Mayor ‘s office, who physically and verbally assaulted Zviad Khujadze from the Information Department of the regional radio company Dzveli Kalaki.

A representative of the Public Defender said that Gizo Tavadze had gone to the building of the radio company, made Khujadze get in the car with him and driven to Tskaltubo, speaking to him aggressively on the way. Zviad Khujadze believes that Tavadze’s behaviour was provoked by a programme the station broadcast a few months ago, in which a journalist criticised the film Kutaiseli Babua, which Gizo Tavadze had a hand in writing.



Teachers asked to specify their political affiliations

Kviris Palitra reports that so-called information forms have been distributed in schools in Kutaisi in which the teachers are required to signify their political party memberships. The teachers have explained that the Security Office has ordered them to fill in these forms. The teachers are not going to do this and have appealed to the Teacher’s Trade Union for help.

Nika Gvaramia, the Minister of Education and Science, has told journalists that the Ministry of Education and Science is planning to create an information base of teachers but not of course by demanding that they register their political affiliation. The Minister added that he has already talked to Manana Gurchumelidze, the Chairman of the Teacher’s Trade Union, and promised that distributing those kind of forms will be stopped.

The teachers are afraid that the Minister’s promise is a temporary one and the forms will be reissued later. Teachers are in difficult situation but despite this new obstacles are being put in their way. Representatives of the Teacher’s Trade Union have stated that they will appeal to international labour organisations and civil rights organisations, asking them to elucidate what steps they can take.