Mereti

Interview place, time and date: 17 August 2008
Interviewer organization:vollunteer journalist
Respondent:man 33 years
Story code:0106
Ossetians have kidnapped me.
They turned the microbus upside down in order to prevent getting people to a
safe place. Microbus exploded and only four of us survived, the rest of the
passengers are either missing or dead. After kidnapping us four Ossetians
made us lay on the stomachs for 10 minutes. I decided not to wait anymore
and jumped into the woods trying to escape ignoring gunshots. I have managed
to escape.
People who kidnapped us were Ossetians in military uniforms wearing white
wristbands and a headband, both of which are symbols of Ossetians. They had
a Villis and an Opel vehicle. At that time there were no Georgian military
forces there (12 August 2008). Names of other three people kidnapped with me
are: Koba Kebadze, Gela Baiadze, Otar Eliashvili.
My left arm is wounded. I was not able to get my parents out of the village.No
message is selected

Mereti

Interview place, time and date: 17 August 2008
Interviewer organization:vollunteer journalist
Respondent:man, 33 years
Story code:0105
Ossetians have kidnapped me.
They turned the microbus upside down in order to prevent getting people to a
safe place. Microbus exploded and only four of us survived, the rest of the
passengers are either missing or dead. After kidnapping us four Ossetians
made us lay on the stomachs for 10 minutes. I decided not to wait anymore
and jumped into the woods trying to escape ignoring gunshots. I have managed
to escape.People who kidnapped us were Ossetians in military uniforms wearing white
wristbands and a headband, both of which are symbols of Ossetians. They had
a Villis and an Opel vehicle. At that time there were no Georgian military
forces there (12 August 2008). Names of other three people kidnapped with me
are: Koba Kebadze, Gela Baiadze, Otar Eliashvili.
My left arm is wounded. I was not able to get my parents out of the village.No
message is selected

Mereti

Interview place,date:Aug 14, 2008 10:53 PM
Interviewer organization:vollunteer journalist
respondent:
Story code:0085
I am from Gori region, from the village of Mereti. As this disorder started, our army was standing there… Later they told us to leave and we left. Now Russian army and Ossetians occupied the place. It appears they are taking everything valuable from our village of Mereti and afterwards they are setting fire, destroying everything.
I have no idea what happened to my house, I have left. Only the day before yesterday I managed to persuade my son to leave. He was resisting, stating, "I need to stay here, till I am alive". Husband of my daughter and my brothers are still there.
I did not take anything from my house, I left just like this.