In Georgia, residents of village Duisi demand to release local woman-teacher from arrest

A rally was held in the village of Duisi of the Pankisi Gorge of Georgia, at which participants demanded to stop criminal process against teacher Asmat Khangoshvili, the employee of the "Robin Scott" Foundation. She is suspected of drug storage.

Earlier, the "Caucasian Knot" has reported that residents of the village Duisi protested for several days already in connection with the detention of their countrywoman Asmat (Shorena) Khangoshvili. She is engaged in teaching activities; in particular, she gives free English lessons to children of the village of Duisi. On September 16, she was detained in the city of Akhmet on suspicion of drug storage.

Today, 200 people came to the central area of the village calling for release of Asmat Khangoshvili. Work of practically all institutions in Duisi was stopped, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by Gela Mtivlishvili, the head of the information centre "Kakheti".

"Kindergartens, schools, and hospital stopped working. People demanded to release Asmat Khangoshvili, who is known as a public figure throughout the entire Akhmet District," said Gela Mtivlishvili.

According to him, the meeting, which was held yesterday, on September 18, gathered even more villagers than today - about 350 people.

"Today we expected more people coming to support Asmat. However, yesterday and today, police officers and officials of the Akhmet District carried out preventive measures. In particular, they said that participation in the rally may cause troubles for the protesters," states Gela Mtivlishvili.

Asmat Khangoshvili was detained by the criminal police officers. According to the official statement of the "Robin Scott" Foundation, the local residents tried to release Asmat, believing that she was being kidnapped by criminals.

In early 2000s, Asmat Khangoshvili worked as a journalist in the information centre "Kakheti". Since 2004, she has been teaching English in the centre "Robin Scott." In 2007, she took a degree of Master of Social Sciences.

The "Robin Scott" Foundation was founded by parents of journalist Roderick Scott, who perished in 2002 in Chechnya. Scott's parents visited Georgia several times and are personally acquainted with Asmat Khangoshvili. At present, the Foundation's centre works in the village of Duisi, where 200 local children learn English. Asmat is one of four teachers of the centre.

According to Gela Mtivlishvili, the villagers are not willing to believe that Asmat Khangoshvili stored drugs. They believe that she could have been delayed due to operational investigative actions of catching her brother Muslim Khangoshvili, who had been hiding from the police for five years already.

The staff members of the "Robin Scott" Foundation also fail to believe that the woman could be somehow involved in drug trafficking.

"We have been working with her for a long time, Shorena is a very good person," the "Caucasian Knot" was told by Liya Margoshvili, Director of the Foundation's centre in Duisi.

Vladimir Lozinsky, Director of the Foundation, made an official statement, in which he also absolutely denies involvement of Asmat Khangoshvili in drug trafficking.

The centre's staff members also considered unreasonable version that arrest of Asmat Khangoshvili was connected to her activities on social protection and integration of refugees from Chechnya living in the Pankisi Gorge and Akhmet District.

"The administration has never pressured or oppressed the Chechen refugees. There is no social problem - only 600-700 people with refugee status remain in the Pankisi Gorge. Others have taken citizenship of Georgia or left. Thus, the problem of resettlement and employment among the Chechens is not as acute as the one for the refugees from Abkhazia," says Gela Mtivlishvili.

The law enforcement bodies of Georgia have not yet commented on the situation with the arrest of Asmat Khangoshvili.

On Saturday, September 17, at the preliminary hearing the Tbilisi City Court has pronounced custody as the pre-trial restriction for Asmat Khangoshvili. However, today the appeal was considered. As a result, the court decided to release Asmat Khangoshvili on bail in the amount of 5000 laris (3000 US dollars).

According to preliminary information, at present, a procedural agreement between the prosecutor's office and Asmat Khangoshvili is being prepared, the "Echo of the Caucasus" reports.