Constitutional Court Granted GYLA’s Constitutional Claim

With its today’s decision, the Constitutional Court granted GYLA’s constitutional claim filed on behalf of Piruz Vanievi of the village of Khurvaleti, Gori District, and Tristan Mamagulashvili of the village of Dvani, Kareli District. Located in Kareli and Gori districts, their houses were outside the boundries of the territory recognized as occupied by the Georgian authorities. Nevertheless, Tristan Mamagualshvili and Piruz Vanievi could not return to places of their habitual residence and to make use of their property. Following the Russian-Georgian war in 2008 the Government of Georgia lost control of the part of Dvani and Khurvaleti where Vanievi’s and Mamagulashvili’s houses are located.

Tristan Mamagulashvili and Piruz Vanievi found themselves in the very same position as people displaced from former South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Nevertheless, unlike the people displaced from the occupied territories, they and other persons that found themselves in a similar position, had not been granted status of an IDP and therefore, they were not entitled to IDP benefits (monthly IDP allowance, etc.).