The Georgian sunset was unparalleled. Facing south, mountains and farmland were illuminated by golden, blinding sun; facing north, kilometers of razor and barbed wire fences glinted brightly in the same sun. The scene offered a stark reminder that this country – long discussed as the meeting place of east and west, of modern and traditional – also lies at the nexus of freedom and occupation.
Only 100 km from Tbilisi, Khurvaleti (curr-vah-let-tee) may as well be light years away from the ease and bustle of Tbilisi. With a police escort in front and a police escort in back, our van bumped along a potholed, dirt path until we arrived in the small Georgian village bifurcated by part of the 53 km of fencing along the 350 km border with Russian-occupied land.
The international community refers to the occupied region as South Ossetia, but Georgians call it “The Occupied Tshkinvali Region” or “The So-Called South Ossetia.” The international community also publicly deems the conflict as one between Georgia and the ethnic Ossetians still residing in the occupied territory, but the official government line is clear: Russia pulls the strings.
In Khurvaleti, we listened to a presentation by the State Security Service and met with a Georgian resident living on the other side of the occupation line. All the while, we were accompanied by five police officers from the State Security Service, three of whom watched the occupation line and two of whom watched us.
Our journey continued from Khurvaleti to Tserovani (sair-oh-vahn-ee), an Internally Displaced Person (IDP) settlement approximately 30 minutes outside of Tbilisi. The settlement has an elementary school, youth center, library, and shops, but it’s no substitute for home. The residents fled their towns for government-controlled land in 2008 and have resided at Tserovani ever since.
Close to Tbilisi and with local offices providing on-site services, the residents of Tserovani know they’re relatively lucky. Other IDP municipalities have no such local services, and residents must find the money and the time to travel to Tbilisi.
It’s unclear when or if the residents of Tserovani will be able to return home. Many IDPs arrived thinking they’d only be gone several months, but 10 years later they remain. Because IDP status is inherited through one’s parents indefinitely, the Georgian government will soon face the challenge of providing housing and stipends to an ever-expanding IDP population, many of whom were actually born on government-controlled territory. In the interim, other Georgian citizens find themselves trapped on the other side of the occupation line, unable to vote, visit, or provide for themselves in the country they call home.
-- Jess R., Cohort 4