Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze has arrested Giga Sopromadze, a disabled employee of the city's Health and Social Services Department, who criticized the Georgian Dream for adopting Russian-style legislation and halting the European integration process. Sopromadze has also been involved in recent protests.
News
Trending stories
- 1 Marauding Kadyrovites Among Masked Raiders in Tbilisi - Editor's Column
- 2 Putin Expresses Surprise at Georgian Authorities' Courage
- 3 TV Pirveli Journalist Mariam Gaprindashvili Injured During Rally
- 4 12 Found Dead in Bedroom of Indian Restaurant in Gudauri
- 5 No Alternative to Georgia's European Integration, 17 Judges Declare
- 6 Special Forces Confront Protesters on Rustaveli Avenue
As per Kaladze's order, Sopromadze's employment contract will be terminated on January 1, 2025. The basis for his dismissal was an appeal from the head of the municipal service, Gela Chiviashvili, which states that Giga Sopromadze was a freelance employee and that the City Hall no longer requires him to perform his primary function as the coordinator of programs for people with disabilities.
"From a legal standpoint, the reason for my dismissal is completely absurd. It's as if the programs for people with disabilities in the municipal service already have coordinators, and my role is no longer needed. However, during my eight years of work, the programs for people with disabilities have had the same number of coordinators as when I started.
The real reason for dismissal is the activities me and other civil servants have been involved in regarding recent developments,” Giga Sopromadze said.
Sopromadze was one of the civil servants who applied to the Ministry of Justice on December 25 to establish an independent trade union. The following day, he learned of Kakha Kaladze’s decision.
The Tbilisi mayor denied that the dismissal was politically motivated and dismissed the criticism as “speculation.”
"He was not a staff employee; he was on a contract. The term of the contract expired. He worked on the implementation of programs for people with disabilities, and now all the programs that were implemented have corresponding heads, so there was no need for him to continue. As a result, the contract ended, and extending a new one was not necessary," Kaladze said.
Kakha Kaladze has repeatedly threatened City Hall employees who distanced themselves from the Georgian Dream's decision to suspend European integration and signed the petition drafted on November 30. Kaladze accused the employees of attempting sabotage, stating, "Believe me, it will not go unanswered, of course, within the framework of the Constitution and the law." Giga Sopromadze was the first to sign the petition.
