everyday life)

Haeris porti da cremlebi

2008 wlis Tebervlamde aravis vacilebdi haeris portSi. ar vici es principuli gadawyvetileba iyo, Tu ubralod suleluri axireba, ase xdeboda 22 wlis ganmavlobaSi.

saerTod damSvidobeba Zalian ar miyvars. msiamovnebs Caxuteba da kocna, bednieri da mSvidi mgzavrobis survilic ki, magram garkveul SemTxvevebSi ver vikaveb cremlebs, vixvrCvebi..

ZiriTadad mniSvneloba ar aqvs manZils, dros.. mTavaria vis vimSvidobebi.

pirveli adamiani vinc haeris portSi gavacile, Cemi megobari nina iyo, romelic eqvsi TviT midioda berlinSi. kargad maxsovs, registraciis gavlisas dawyebuli tirili mTeli Rame grZeldeboda.

Zalian bevri vitire, rodesac mivfrinavdi praRaSi ori TviT da haeris portSi vemSvidobebodi Cems das, kusas.

vitire, roca kusa midioda germaniaSi oTxi TviT.

da vitire exla. amaRam, roca nina gafrinda kiolnSi. gansxvaveba isaa, rom haeris portSi ar wavedi, saxlidan taqsiSi Cajdomamde, sadarbazos win Caxutebisas vitire.

vgrZnob, rom vitirebdi CemTvis Zalian sayvareli adamianis, b-ni edvard raupis gacilebisasac, (Tumca ar gavacile amaRam), romelic brundeba SeerTebul StatebSi. ar vici mas kidev vnaxav Tu ver.

ar vtiri yvelas gacilebisas. vtiri garkveul SemTxvevebSi. vtiri CemTvis, yvelas ardasanaxad)

Stockholm to host the 24th Russia-EU summit

gas supply issues will be one of the priority topics at the summit

On November 18, Stockholm will host the 24th Russia-EU summit. Russia will be represented by President Dmitry Medvedev and the EU by President of the European Council, Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and EU Council Secretary General/High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana.

The summit will focus on Russia-EU interaction in dealing with global issues: climate change, global financial crisis, energy security, as well as Russian-Georgian war.

After the Russian-Georgian war in 2008, Sweden openly suggested implementing sanctions against Russia. The Georgian government is concerted about the fact that Russia is not executing the obligation taken under the six point peace plan, signed in August 2008, according to which the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation should have withdrawn to the line where they were stationed prior to the beginning of hostilities.

Energy supplies to Europe are expected to be the top issue on the agenda of the summit. Europe wants assurances of secured gas flow from Russia after last year’s row between Moscow and Kiev left millions of Europeans in the cold. A new security system is to be proposed.

According to Kremlin Medvedev is also going to discuss with the European colleagues the problematic issues, like: North Korea’s nuclear problem, the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan and Cyprus and Kosovo issues.

Counting Irregularities during the Yerevan City Council Elections

 Four breaks, four arguments about whether to have breaks and nearly
four hours after the polls closed, commission members of precinct 8/19
in Malatia Sebastia finally managed to count 828 ballots.

It was nearly midnight when the commission finally finished the count,
leaving the open box of ballots unattended as they ate a meal before
shipping the results to the Central Election Commission.

While some precincts followed the rules of counting ballots precisely,
others played fast and loose with the rules. According to a
voter-hotline run by the Human Rights in Armenia NGO, at polling
station 5/27 in school 145 allowed a group of people to enter after
the polls closed. At polling station 4/21, the commissioner refused to
report the final number of votes.

At precinct 08/19, the station was closed sharply at 8 p.m., but the
counting process did not start until 8:30 p.m.

The tension in the polling station was obvious, as the commission
members milled nervously about before starting the counting process.

The chairman of the commission opened the ballot box and took the
envelopes out one by one, very slowly. The first two envelopes,
including one that had no stamp, and was invalidated, he showed to
every observer and journalist that was attending the counting process.
Unstamped envelopes can be a sign of ballot-stuffing.

But after the first two, he continued counting without looking at
whether the envelopes were stamped or not, and he refused to let
observers see the envelopes either.

After taking several breaks, the numbers were tallied and counted, and
the boxes were then left unattended and open while the commission had
a lengthy dinner break.

Open Ballot Box Left without Any Attention Because of the Dinner Break; Photo by Sophio Ebralidze

Yerevan Elections: ANC’s last campaign rally

On Friday, May 29, Armenian National Congress held its final campaign rally for the Yerevan mayor election scheduled on May 31.

Several thousand people gathered at 6:30 p.m. in front of the Matenadaran museum in central Yerevan to support and listen to the leaders’ speeches.

Leaders of the Armenian National Congress gave their usual speeches, predicting that their party will win the election.

In a private interview before the speeches Levon Zurabyan, the Armenian National Congress coordinator said: “During the whole election campaign, we saw many violations from the other parties, especially Republicans. And if we don’t win, people will show us what to do next.”

The mood among the supporters of the Armenian National Congress was positive, as people sat in the sun and listened to the musical band Hima and singer Mher Manukyan.

Thousands of supporters for Levon Ter-Petrosyan's Armenian National Congress gathered for one last campaign rally Friday in front of the Manthenadaran.

“Sure, we will win, it is obvious,” said 33-year-old Anna Bagdasaryan, who was dancing and smiling and singing with the music with a relaxed look on her face.

Anti-government tent camps spread throughout Tbilisi

Oppositions Set Up Prison Cells in a New Place:State Chancellery, April 15, 2009. Photo by Khanim Javadova

TBILISI

, Georgia – In an attempt to make “officials feel uncomfortable,” anti-government protesters have added another protest location to their list: in front of the State Chancellery, few hundred meters away from Parliament, houses of the government’s administration and Prime Minister’s office.

Protesters erected tents in front of the office Wednesday, April 16, where people plan to camp for 24 hours. They join similar tent camps in front of President Mikheil Saakashvili’s residence compound in the city’s Avlabari neighborhood, and one in front of the Georgian Public Broadcaster. They continue, also, to block traffic on Rustaveli Avenue in front of Parliament.

Eka Beselia, an opposition leader, said the demonstrations will not be stopped during the Easter holidays.

“On Saturday and Sunday, on the Easter days, we will pray together, stand together and march together on different demonstrating places,” said Beselia.

Starting next Tuesday, opposition members plan to go to the regions and bring people to Tbilisi, she said.

Demonstrators Standing in the Rain at the State Chancellery, April 15. Photo by Khanim Javadova

Protest numbers have dwindled since the beginning of the demonstrations on Thursday, April 9, when about 55,000 people gathered at Parliament. Today, about thousand protesters gathered at the State Chancellery, and couple of hundreds of protesters in front of the various locations.

 

Opposition leaders and activists have filed several reports of attacks, from slashed tires to attacks on demonstrators. David Bakradze, head of the Parliament said all the facts of the attacks will be investigated by the Ministry of the Interior Affairs.

President Saakashvili calls the oppositions for the dialogue, but the opposition leaders say, there will be a dialogue only on one issue, resignation of Saakashvili.

Sunday Protests Small, Even After Saturday Night Vandalism

 

Demonstrators waiting for the oppositional leaders' announcements. Photo by Sopho Ebralidze

Fourth day of demonstrators in front of the Parliament. Photo by Sopho Ebralidze

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No doubt affected by Georgia’s Palm Sunday holiday, thousands of anti-government protesters dwindled down to hundreds in front of Parliament on Sunday.

This despite a late-night attack on a protest site Saturday that caused opposition leaders to change their original plan of calling off the Sunday demonstrations. Instead, they asked people to come out in front of the Parliament at 3 p.m. During the attack, opposition leaders charge, about 50 men including a city street cleaning crew destroyed computers and sound equipment in front of Parliament, and threatened some protesters standing nearby.

Opposition leaders claim the men were sent by government forces, and say they have identified at least one city employee as one of the vandals. ‘‘Yesterday, the Government underlined the fact that they stand above the law and have the right to do whatever they want to do,’’ said Eka Beselia, leader of the Movement United Georgia.

Government sources deny that any city or state employees had anything to do with the attack, which they say is demonstrated by surveillance cameras footage,  released by the Ministry of Interior Affairs to the media.

The video has caused controversies and discussions on opposition channels, since it still doesn’t demonstrate clearly how the sound equipment got damaged. The oppositions said the video was edited, and contend they have their own footage from cell phones.

The dispute has gotten personal. When Tbilisi’s mayor, Gigi Ugulava, suggested the demonstrators could clean up the garbage-strewn protest sites themselves, some demonstrators did just that, dumping the garbage they collected on the doorstep of the mayor’s office on Sunday evening.  

Opposition leaders asked citizens of Georgia to gather in front of the Parliament Monday at 3  p.m., April 13. They plan to announce their future acting plans.

 

Vandals Damage Computers, Sound Equipment at opposition site

Opposition leaders claim there was an attack on sound equipment and computers located at a main anti-government protest site on  Rustaveli Avenue at around 11 p.m. Saturday, April 11.

Witnesses reported that around 50 men dressed in casual clothes came to Rustaveli Avenue together with a municipal street-cleaning crew  and damaged equipment and and assaulted several people — though no one was hurt — standing  in front of the parliament, said the opposition leaders, at 12:15 a.m. at a press briefing. 

‘’Computers and sound equipment were taken away and what was left was destroyed. We called the Police office immediately, but they did not appear, explaining that at that moment all the police men were busy,” according to a statement from the press-office of the United Georgia-Democratic Movement, a main opposition group led by former government sympathizer Nino Burjanadze.

Deputy of the Interior affairs minister, Eka Zghuladze, made a special announcement, saying that all the video tapes, taken by the surveillance cameras will be studied.

“There was friction on Rustaveli Avenue, but no police or other municipal or Government personnel were involved in any way in the incident,’’ Zghuladze said. She stated that the policemen did not appear at the incident, because they wanted to avoid more tension.

Eka kherkheulidze, MP, called the incident “a provocation.”

By 2 a.m., people were gathering in front of Parliament and Rustaveli Avenue was blocked again, opposition leaders said.  

Tens of Thousands of Demonstrators Protest In Front of the Georgian Public Broadcaster

Protesters started gathering in front of the Georgian Public Broadcaster at 6 p.m., April,10. Tens of thousands of people, accompanied by the part of the oppositional parties’ leaders announced the civil disobedient.

 Demonstrators met the speeches of Levan Gachechiladze, from the United Opposition and Irakli Alasania, leader of the Alliance for Georgia with applauds and ovations. According to the oppositional party members, from April 11^th, demonstrations will cover the whole Georgia.

The decision of civil disobedient was made after the President Saakashvili’s statement, that he does not plan to resign until the end of his presidency, 2013.

Every day, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., the Kostava avenue, where the Georgian Public Broadcaster is located and Ketevan Tsamebuli avenue, the President’s administration will be blocked. At 9 p.m., the demonstrations will continue in front of the Georgian Parliamen during the nights.

‘‘Georgia will go on its development in the democratic way. Georgia will be united’’. Irakli Alasania, leader of the opposition said.

Protestors marching on Kostava avenue, 7 p.m., April 10. Photo by Sopho Ebralidze

Demonstrators gathered in front of the Georgian Public Broadcaster, 7 p.m., April 10. Photo by Sopho Ebralidze

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Protestors Enter Day Two With Quiet

The Opposition parties, raised an ultimatum to President Mikheil Saakashvili to resign in 24 hours. The ultimatum time expires on 3 p.m. today. If Saakashvili will not resign, permanent demonstrations will start in all of Georgia, the opposition leaders say.

Levan Gachechiladze, leader of the United Opposition, addressed the demonstrators on Thursday evening with the request to stay up for the whole night on April 9th in front of the Parliament.

Couple of hundred protestors, mainly men, did so. The next morning, people started gathering in front of the Parliament again. Rustaveli Avenue, starting from t Liberty square up to the Tbilisi Marriot, is blocked. No public transport and cars are allowed to move there.

‘ The blocked border may extend. It depends on how many people will come here at 3 p.m. ‘ said George Kebadze, one of the activists standing at the blockade.

The mood of the people, standing in small groups in front of the Parliament remains the same. They still demand the resignation of president Saakashvili.

“ Saakashvili has to resign. There is no other way. I am sure, it will happen, if a lot people will come out in the streets,” said Nana Abralava, 44, standing in front of the parliament.

Protestors are waiting for Saakashvili’s decision and the opposition parties’ plans that are going to be announced today, at 4 p.m.

Mediator Tries to Resolve Health Insurance Conflicts

Five-year old Luka has spastic palsy (quadriplegia) and is unable to walk. He lives with his mother and grandparents. In the Iashvili Children’s Hospital, doctors told Luka’s mother that there was a chance for Luka to improve his condition with surgery.
But the Insurance Company, Irao, refused to finance the operation, because the outcome was questionable. So Nino, Luka’s mother, applied for help to the Health Insurance Mediation Service (HIMS), a private NGO that attempts to resolve disputes between clients and insurance companies. The mediator studied the case, and had intensive meetings with Irao’s representatives.
The insurance company decided to finance Luka’s surgery in November 2008. Now Luka is beginning to be able to walk.
Health Insurance Mediation Service, part of the Georgian Insurance Association, tries to settle misunderstandings and disagreements between the clients and insurance companies, avoiding court.
Anybody who has health insurance can call 555-115 and get consultations and assistance for free, according to Archil Tsertsvadze, head and mediator of the Health Insurance Mediation Service.
The organization was established on the initiative of the Georgian Insurance Association, with the help of the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia, and with the support of the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) project Co-Reform, in March 2008.
In 2007 the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia started a state insurance program for the socially unprotected population, as well as for teachers, armed forces and public officials.
The Georgian government sees the private health insurance system as the major method for financing health care in the future. In 2009, two-thirds of the population will have health insurance.
“During the year of 2009, the state will insure another 900,000 citizens,” said Sopho Lebanidze, head of the Health Care Department at The Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia.
The organization serves citizens insured by the State health insurance programs, as well as by the private sector insurance companies, either individually or in corporate (employee) groups.
The Health Insurance Mediation Service is located under the N. Baratashvili bridge on the left bank of the Mtkvari River. A mediator, three health insurance specialists, a lawyer, an administrator, an IT specialist and a database and reporting manager make up the staff of the organization.
Lela Serebryakova, Health Insurance Regulation Program Manager at CoReform, praised the staff of the mediation service.
“These are people who not only thoroughly understand health insurance, but also they care,’’ she said.
The mediation service’s goal is not only to resolve disputes, but also to inform consumers who have health insurance.
“People have a serious deficit of information in this field. A person may think that he or she deserves a benefit, and in reality does not. Or just on the contrary, deserves it, but does not know about it. Besides resolving the disagreements, the main function of this organization is giving more information to health insured citizens,” said Tsertsvadze.
The job of the mediator is to be objective, professional and impartial.
“In the process of making a decision, the mediator is absolutely autonomous. The board of the Georgian Insurance Association does not interfere,” said Devi khechinashvili, President of the Georgian Insurance Association.
There are three categories of applications in the Health Insurance Mediation Service: 1. Forwarding: When the application is out of the mediation’s competence. For example, if an insured person applies directly to the Health Insurance Mediation Service, without applying first to the company or ministry, the mediator asks the person to apply to the other departments first.
2: Explanations: The organization gives information to the insured person and gives direction on what to do next.
3. Disagreements: The Health Insurance Mediation Service studies the documents, the case, and after that comes to a conclusion, and tries to resolve the disagreement.
“We have to discuss 20-25 applications every day. Most of them are of the first and second categories,’’ said Lia Memarnishvili, a health insurance specialist at mediation service.
According to an agreement with insurance companies, the mediation service can tell the company to carry out certain obligations, when the dispute involves less than 1,000 lari.
“But if the sum is higher, then the mediation service’s conclusion is a recommendation [not an order],” said Tsertsvadze.
According to the documents, from May to November 2008, 1,332 people applied to the mediation service. From September to November, cases were resolved in favor of the insured consumers 51 times in disputes and 21 cases in explanations. The resolutions were valued at 82,950 lari ($51,800). During the same period, cases resolved in favor of the insurance companies amounted to 201 in the explanation category, and 1 in the dispute category, with the total value of the cases put at 108,200 lari ($67,000).
“In the second category, explanations, the insurance companies turned out to be right more often, because people are less informed about their insurance terms and procedures, or what they can expect the insurance company to pay for” said Nino Zhorzholadze, database and reporting manager at the Health Insurance Mediation Service.
The relationship with insurance companies has been positive, both sides say.
‘’They are not biased, we trust them and of course take their recommendations into consideration,” said Khatuna Silagadze, Social Programs Manager for GPI Holding.