We express our concern about the incident that took place in Gardabani on the night of May 28 when groups of citizens living in Gardabani confronted each other physically. The clash was so serious (according to eye witness accounts, about 300 people took part in the confrontation) that, according to news agencies, it became necessary to mobilize a special purpose unit to diffuse the situation.
The acting Administrator of the Gardabani Municipality, Ambako Avaliani, declares that the confrontation was provoked by a group that is controlled by the head of the Gardabani district organization of the United National Movement.
Members of the UNM have a different version. According to them, their representatives in the aforementioned district were attacked by members of the election headquarters of the Georgian Dream coalition.
Journalists and eye witnesses are talking about ethnic motives of the confrontation, noting that the incident that took place yesterday started with “an argument between Svans and Azerbaijanis”. The local population also expresses discontent with the inability of the law enforcement bodies, because they were not able to avoid such a large-scale confrontation and to ensure launching an investigation in a timely manner.
It is sad that the authorities have not been able to resolve the confrontation effectively till now. In spite of the causes of the confrontation, any conflict that runs along ethnic lines may cause an irreparable damage to the state. It is also noteworthy that such incidents may manifest themselves with particular severity in the run-up to the elections, a clear example of which is the situation that developed in Gardabani.
During the day of May 29, political forces disseminated differing accounts of the conflict and offered different interpretations of its causes. We call on all persons involved in political activities not to use the confrontation, which may have an ethnic cause, for achieving political ends and not to escalate the problem artificially. Any such attempt is going to cause a significant damage to the society.
Provoking an ethnic or other confrontation on political or any other pretext is unacceptable for us. We call on law enforcement bodies to investigate the incident quickly and effectively and to hold the persons who started the confrontation and were involved in the conflict responsible. The Ministry of Internal Affairs must ensure the safety of the population and take all possible measures envisaged by law that are necessary to diffuse the existing grave situation and punish the offenders. It should also be noted that law enforcers are obliged not only to respond to offences, but also to avoid psychical confrontation or other offences by preventive actions, which, according to the assessment of eye witnesses, the police were not able to do in the given case. At the same time, we believe that the Administrator of Gardabani must carry out his official duties with more responsibility and refrain from making premature political statements.
Georgian Democracy Initiative
Transparency International – Georgia
Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association
International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy
