On September 23, within the framework of the peace week, representatives of the Public Defender and Human Rights House Tbilisi visited villages in Shida Kartli affected by the 2008 war and met with residents. The conversation with former prisoners of Tskhinvali prison concerned details of their detention and consequent release as well as health problems caused by the detentions.

Residents of the village of Plavi are not able to fully exercise their right of free movement; they cannot even visit their village cemetery. Following cancellation of their social benefits some families found themselves in extremely grave conditions.

Residents of the village of Kveshi complain of absence of irrigation water that hinders the agricultural activities in the village. Also, according to the residents of Kveshi, individual electric meter system is being installed in the village and due to this eight families were deprived of power for two months. As a result of interference of the Public Defender, the power supply was resorted on the next day.

To this day houses in the village of Zadiantkari that were destroyed during the war have not been rebuilt yet. Because of this, 27 families of the village have been placed in Gori N1 kindergarten and live there in extremely difficult conditions. The court denied them the refugee status.

The Public Defender’s Office of Georgia is actively working with local authorities in order to find solution to the problem existing on the territories affected by the war in the fastest way possible.