2016-08-05 Supporter of the United National Movement, Tamar Bedianashvili reported that employee of Gldani Gamgeoba - lead specialist Ilia Mirotadze - threatened her and other residents of Giorgitsminda Village to revoke their status of the socially vulnerable and take away social benefits granted by the local self-government unless they support the Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia in the upcoming elections. On August 5, some residents of Giorgitsminda Village staged a rally outside Gldani Gamgeoba to protest the harassment. According to Tamar Bedianashvili, having learned that she was a supporter and an activist of the United National Movement, Ilia Mirotadze insulted her and threatened to discontinue her social benefits. She also stated that Ilia Mirotadze is harassing residents of Giorgitsminda in their homes and threatening to take away all their benefits, including free fuel and free dinners, unless they support the Georgian Dream. On several occasions he refused to let local eligible children to participate in summer camps for the socially vulnerable, sponsored by the Gamgeoba. According to another resident of Giorgitsminda, Khatuna Ksovreli, Ilia Mirotadze threatened to revoke her status of as a mother of several children and to remove her from the program of free dinners. He said that he would force her to pay for all social benefits she had already received, unless she supported the Georgian Dream. Representative of Gldani Gamgeoba Public Relations Office, Dea Jikia stated that Gamgebeli examined these reports but no evidence was found. According to Tamar Bedianashvili, initial conflict between her and Ilia Mirotadze occurred about an issue unrelated to politics (water from Bedianashvili’s yard had spilled over to the main road), and political affiliation or elections did not come up during this incident. Activists of the United National Movement have not presented any evidence to prove the above threats. It appears that Tamar Bedianashvili and Khatuna Ksovreli had a conflict with Ilia Mirotadze on previous occasions. In particular, in January 2016, Bedianashvili did not receive firewood within a government program for providing firewood to socially vulnerable families. She believes that the incident had to do with the fact that she supports the UNM party. Ksovreli had a conflict with Mirotadze in May 2016, over the Easter grocery basket provided to the socially vulnerable in a soup kitchen. She expressed her concern over poor quality of grocery products. She also alleges that her children were not allowed to participate in a governmentsponsored summer camp for the socially vulnerable, which she believes was due to her political sympathy towards the UNM. Representative of the Social Service Agency of the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, Tata Gamkrelidze maintains that a local self-government employee cannot influence introduction revoking of socially vulnerable status of individual citizens in any way.