On January 16, 2022, 52-year-old Zurab Kheria, an internally displaced person (IDP) from Gudauta, died from injuries sustained after jumping from a height. Witnesses said that Kheria jumped from the roof of the “Kartli” sanatorium, where IDPs were housed, in an attempt to draw the government’s attention. The Minister of Health, however, told journalists that it was an accident and should not be linked to the problems of displaced persons.

“For decades, unresolved communal problems have been the reason why IDPs often stand in front of various ministries holding protest signs. During a 2019 demonstration, one displaced person told Radio Free Europe that they make us wait so long — you have to be so sick and dying to get a high score and be granted an apartment that by the time you finally receive it, you might not live long enough to move in, it will only be useful for your coffin. Zurab Kheria didn’t even live to see that,” wrote Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

In the month before his death, the IDPs living in the sanatorium had been persistently demanding that they be provided apartments before the dilapidated building collapsed on them. The authorities offered them two options: to be relocated to rental housing or, if they found an apartment themselves, the government would pay $550 per square meter. The IDPs were dissatisfied with the offer, mainly due to mistrust. They believed the government would only pay rent for the first few months and then leave them on the streets. They also argued that $550 per square meter was not enough to buy an apartment in Tbilisi. The Public Defender, Nino Lomjaria, stated: “[The IDPs] tried for a long time to find adequate and livable housing within that budget, but because the ministry sets too many conditions for transferring the money, it is physically impossible to meet those criteria with the amount offered.”

Moreover, many of the IDPs living in the “Kartli” sanatorium were not even included in the list of people eligible to receive housing at that stage. The sanatorium was unsafe for living. The last document confirming this was dated February 3, 2015.

On January 24, the displaced residents of the “Kartli” sanatorium went to the Ministry of Health of Georgia and once again demanded housing. They stood at the entrance holding signs reading: “We’ve been waiting for 30 years, how much longer?” and “Homeland, have you abandoned us?”

“Mr. Minister, you were wrong when you didn’t find the time to meet with the IDPs;

You were wrong when you didn’t come to offer condolences to the family;

You were wrong when you spoke with a smile about the tragedy that happened.

Mr. Minister, we IDPs came here to tell you that you are wrong again now, as you sit inside and refuse to speak to the people,” said one of the protesters.

On January 26, the IDPs received a phone call and agreed to meet with a representative of the ministry. However, when they said they wanted a lawyer present at the meeting, the ministry canceled it. The displaced persons went to the ministry building anyway — this time, to protest.

On January 28, the Minister of Health met with the IDPs and listened to their demands. That day, only 16 families accepted the ministry’s offer. Some agreed to find apartments themselves within the offered budget, while others moved into newly constructed buildings. More than 100 families, however, rejected all proposals from the ministry, expressing complete distrust of the process. It was also agreed that working meetings would be held every two weeks. Ilia Ghudushauri, Deputy Minister of Health, promised that by the end of the year, all families would have left the former sanatorium building.