Natia Mezvrishvili, Deputy Chairperson of the opposition For Georgia party, led by ex-PM Giorgi Gakharia, has denounced the ongoing pre-election environment in Georgia as violent and unfair. Speaking at a briefing on Thursday, she highlighted a case of political persecution involving a former school director in the village of Nokalakhevi, Senaki, Western Georgia, who was allegedly dismissed for political reasons and is now facing additional pressure to leave her current teaching position.
“Our party’s respected member, who was dismissed from the position of school director in late August or early September due to political motives, is now being harassed and forced to resign from her current role as a teacher based on fabricated reasons,” Mezvrishvili stated. She added that the harassment was coming from the school’s current director, who is married to a high-ranking local police official.
Mezvrishvili expressed the party’s intention to request an official investigation into the matter from law enforcement authorities, citing systemic political persecution.
“This individual, who has served the school for decades and has earned the respect of many, was removed simply because she was seen with Giorgi Gakharia during the election campaign. The new director, Nanna Jgerenaia, who is the wife of senior police officer Irakli Gvasalia, replaced her, and the school is now filled with ruling Georgian Dream party members,” Mezvrishvili explained.
She further slammed the Georgian government for creating a hostile pre-election environment, countering claims made by ruling party officials.
“Yesterday, Kobakhidze falsely claimed that we are experiencing an unprecedentedly peaceful pre-election period in a free and fair environment. The reality is quite the opposite—teachers are being attacked, and this violent and unfair environment will be reported to both local and international observers,” Mezvrishvili said, criticizing Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.
She also attributed responsibility for the situation to government officials, particularly the PM and the Speaker of Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, accusing them of orchestrating and encouraging such politically motivated actions.
“This is not an isolated incident. Several school directors have been dismissed in recent weeks for political reasons, and representatives of the State Security Service are actively monitoring our campaign,” she added.
