With the letter of 30 June 2021, IDFI once again addresses the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Gharibashvili, the Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia, Kakha Kutchava, Minister of Finances of Georgia, Lasha Khutsishvili and the Chairman of the Finance and Budget Committee of the Parliament of Georgia, Irakli Kovzanadze with the request for the Government to increase the living subsidy for the repressed individuals from 7 GEL to 44 GEL with the 2021 and 2022 budget. This decision would at least slightly improve the difficult financial conditions of the families of the repressed individuals, who are also a risk group considering their age.

 

The amount of the living subsidy for the victims of political– 7 GEL, which is the lowest among the living subsidies established for the different social categories, does not respond to the necessities of these persons and is even cynical toward these repressed individuals. 

 

IDFI, in collaboration with “Memorial”, demands the increase of living subsidy for the repressed individuals in order to make it equal with the amount of the living subsidies for the other social categories – 44 GEL (which is the amount for Second World War veterans, people with disabilities due to crashing the 9 April demonstrations, etc.). This would at least cover the minimal costs of utilities in Georgia.

 

The organization have addressed the Government of Georgia three times on 24 June, 27 July and 11 December 2020.

 

IDFI has also published the research papers - “Victims of Soviet Repressions in Georgia – Legal Remedies and Their Assessment” and “The Statistics of Social Assistance for the Victims of Political Repressions”, in which the necessities of the repressed, legal mechanisms, international practices in this direction and statistics were studied.

 

It should be mentioned that in 2010, there were 20,775 victims of political repressions in Georgia while their number in 2019 was 10,451. From December 2019 until December 2020, there was a further decrease in the number of recipients of the living subsidy by 700 individuals and in December 2020, 9,751 individuals were qualified as the victims of political repressions.

 

Considering the natural decline of the recipients, it was concluded that in the case of increasing the subsidy to 44 GEL (which is the amount for Second World War veterans, people with disabilities due to crashing the 9 April demonstrations, etc.) the total cost would be approximately2,13 million GEL in 2021 (1,35 million increase if there will be increase since September) and 4,57 million GEL in 2022 (3,85 million GEL increase).