Pankisi Gorge: Clashes between the locals and the police
By Levan Abramishvili and Inga Kakulia
Tuesday, April 23
On April 21, locals in Pankisi Gorge were protesting the renewed construction of a hydroelectric station Khadori 3, which resulted in a clash between the demonstrators and the police. Quickly after the incident, special forces were taken to the gorge. In a violent confrontation, tear gas and rubber bullets were used against the protesters and the locals threw stones at the law enforcers. 55 people were injured during the altercation, 38 of whom were the police officers. For the full coverage of the story, as well as a brief history of Pankisi Gorge and the reactions to the incident.
Pankisi Gorge: a brief history
Pankisi Gorge (also known as Pankisi Valley) is located in the Northeastern part of Georgia, south of the Georgian-Chechen border, in the district of Akhmeta, Kakheti province.
Pankisi Gorge is inhabited mostly by Kists that are considered to have Chechen origins.
The Gorge came under the regional and international spotlight in the early 2000s, when fighting during the Russian-Chechnya war intensified. Approximately 6,000 Chechens fled south of the Russian-Georgian border to Pankisi Gorge area. Many of these refugees had a kinship and other ties to the Gorge's population of 7,500 Kists, who had long resided in the area.
The Georgian government helped the fleeing Chechens to settle in the Gorge. It decided to tolerate the presence of former Chechen rebel fighters in the Gorge as long as they remained inactive and lived in peace.
Since then, the Gorge came under attention several times. During the height of Daesh’s power, several dozens of Georgian citizens left to fight amongst the ranks of the Islamic State, most of them were from Pankisi Gorge.
Despite the negative attitudes towards the people in the Gorge, intensified by the media outlets, it is noteworthy that the people living there differ from the widespread misconceptions about them. According to Tako Robakidze, a young photographer who documented the day-to-day life in the Pankisi Gorge back in 2014, what she discovered in the gorge completely changed her views of the region – “I was astonished by the kindness, wisdom, hospitality, and beauty of the Kist people residing there. I have rarely met such peace-loving and tolerant people”. Her photo project is called A Look Beyond The Headlines, to make people “think about the individuals behind the established labels and diminish the myth of danger” that the headlines in media create about the life in Pankisi.
The issue of the hydroelectric station Khadori 3 of 5,4 megawatt arose last year when the construction was set to begin in July. The protests from the locals were immediate – they held a rally and protested that the construction of HPP was planned near the village Birkiani and that Alazani river was going to be piped in a 4.5 km channel.
The locals had concerns regarding the water supply since they are heavily dependent upon the resources that the Alazani river provides.
What happened on April 21
LTD 'Peri' plans to build two additional HPPs - Khadori 3 and Samkuristskali 2 in the Pankisi Gorge. According to The Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center (EMC), “the environmental impact assessments issued for the construction clearly do not meet the basic requirements of the law and they contain high risks of damaging environment and social life”.
Under the law, the environmental impact assessment (EIA) is defined as a process through which documentation will be created that will define the types and levels of impacts of the activity on the environment as well as all relevant social and economic impacts.
After the initial protests last July, the construction of Khadori 3 was paused. In the morning of April 21, 2019, in the village Birkiani, the works were renewed and the locals started rallying to stop the construction once again. Which quickly escalated and resulted in a clash between the locals and the police. According to the Ministry of Interior Affairs, in the morning the police arrived at the village on the request of The Ministry of Economy and the special forces arrived there due to the clashes between the police and the protesters.
A meeting was held in Telavi between the representatives of the government and the locals, but concurrently the situation in Pankisi Gorge became hostile. The special forces used tear gas against and rubber bullets against the protesters. While the locals threw stones at the law enforcers. Several construction machineries and police cars were burned down. According to MIA, 55 people were injured during the altercation, 38 of whom were police officers.
After a few hours from the incident, public officials arrived in Pankisi. The Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia, Giorgi Gakharia met with the doyens of the community and promised that the HPP wouldn’t be built unless the 90% of the locals agreed on the construction.
The government issued a statement saying that the hydroelectric stations were vital and would contribute to the local economy and infrastructure. “We express our readiness to answer all questions if there still is a lack of information” – said the statement.
The Interior Ministry has launched an investigation into the incident under articles 353 and 187 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, involving an assault on police officer and damage by setting a fire.
The Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center (EMC) administers court and administrative disputes in relation to HPPs. “However, in spite of the ongoing case proceedings, the state agencies and the company are trying to use all the means (economic, social, police related) to weaken the resistance of the locals” says the NGO.
Reactions to the clash in Pankisi Gorge
Public Defender of Georgia, Nino Lomjaria was at the scene and talked with the locals.
Lomjaria noted that the government should have been more cautious since in the regions where there is are disagreements of this sort the public always sees the mobilization of forces as a threat or a possible punishment. According to Lomjaria, more comprehensive talks with the locals are necessary so that the population’s concerns can truly be heard.
When speaking with the Public Defender one of the locals stated that this was a clear punitive operation. The Locals talked about the extensive equipment of the forces.
“Whenever the government representative come to have the talks with the people living in Pankisi Gorge, they always notify the people that they know to support this project. They never talk to the people that are against it” - said one of the locals
The part of the community opposed to the project says that building another HPP will completely ruin the chances for future generations to stay and live there. They showed the Public Defender the rubber bullets used by the forces.
The local community agrees that they are not against the HPPs in the region as a whole. Local community opposes the specific Khadori 3 HPP that would be right in the middle of the village.
According to the locals, the building of the third HPP is currently terminated and the talk will be held again to figure out how to minimize the potential damage.
The people behind the project have also made comments about what went down in Pankisi Gorge on 21st of April.
“About a year ago, even more so when we began to construct all the law, there was a huge backlash from the population. During these 13 months, we were working closely with the local population, listening to their problems, explaining that this is the safest hydropower plant there is. we went over the issue with a 30-member group and their vast majority said it was acceptable to them.
In the end, we thought that we did not leave any questions unanswered We have also stated that even if one person is left, who thinks something is a threat, tell us and we will take into consideration.
said the CEO of company “Peri”, Lasha Iordanishvili.
While the Head of the Energy Development fund stressed that it is crucial to work towards a more independent Georgia: “When talking about energy security and energy independence of the country, we should remember what was happening in Georgia in the near past when we were dependent on the energy of another country, power supply or gas supply, how many times we had to distribute electricity and natural gas simultaneously” said Giorgi Chikovani, Head of Energy Development Fund.
The opposition parties and their leaders have also stressed their opinions regarding the use of special forces in the gorge.
Leader of the Development Movement, Davit Usupashvili, says that the government has created a five million megawatt political problem due to the five megawatt power plant in the Pankisi Gorge. According to him, the special operation was conducted unprofessionally and there was no argument that could be spoken in the language of "Betters and Special Forces" with the population of Pankisi.
Four NGOs, Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center (EMC); Young Lawyers Association; Green Alternatives and Caucasian House have released a joint statement in which they stressed that Population of Pankisi Gorge has been actively protesting the construction of Khadori 3 and World of Water HPP, for more than 1 year. Analysis of the HPPs permit documents shows that they are clearly without evidence and are not properly investigated for environmental impacts from hydroelectric construction, including its influence on drinking water. Due to the experience of the HPPs already being constructed in the gorge, locals indicate the impact of the HPP cascade (4 HPPs) in the small gorge with its unique natural and social environment and the sustainable economic development of the valley can be very damaging.
“Solidarity for the people of Pankisi!” “No repression! No the HPPs in Pankisi!” - the protests with this message have been taking place in front of The Parliament of Georgia, as well as Batumi for the last two days.
“We request:
• None of the Pankisi people who were protesting against the HPPs and violence on 21 April be arrested.
• Finally terminate the construction of HPPs in Pankisi, which the majority of the local population is against.
• Hold the members of the special forces accountable for their actions!”
The main demands were published in the Facebook event of the protest.
