Coordinated Campaign to Discredit the Mother of Twins Who Died in a Fire in Zugdidi
On August 13, two minors tragically died in a fire that broke out in an apartment on Bukia Street in Zugdidi. According to reports, the children, who lived with their mother in a rented apartment, were alone at the time of the fire. Neighbors stated that the electricity had been cut off due to unpaid bills by the family, who were socially vulnerable and had many children. It is believed that the children lit a candle, which may have sparked the fire. The children’s mother, who had to work manual labor in nut plantations, was not at home during the incident. A video shared on Facebook shows her arriving at the scene after the fire and informing police officers that she and her husband had been working away from home.
Pro-governmental expert Nino Pochkhua responded to the tragedy with a Facebook post, alleging that radicals were attempting to use the incident in Zugdidi to criticize the government and gain political advantage. Pochkhua emphasized that the family did not face financial difficulties, as they received 1,500 GEL monthly from the state along with additional support for the children. She also noted, "My closest person lives in Zugdidi, near the site of the tragedy, the mother left her children alone at night while she went to Batumi for leisure", Pochkhua said. She added that the locals were familiar with the mother's reputation and that the police had difficulty locating her in Batumi before bringing her back to Zugdidi while she was drunk. Initially, Pochkhua’s post was public but is now no longer visible on her profile.
The post was shared by pro-governmental media, including "TV Imedi," but has since been removed from their website.
The post was also published on various news websites such as postv.media, alia.ge, region.ge, resonancedaily.com, newshub.ge, nsp.ge, kvira.ge, ongo.ge, and hotnews.com.
Nino Pochkhua's status was also published on Facebook through news agencies and anonymous pages.
In addition, Pochkhua's post appeared on Facebook, where it was circulated by news agencies and anonymous pages. The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) reported that at least five inauthentic Facebook accounts—Salome Danelia, Anna Anna, Tamuna Chokheli, Anano Qiria, and Tornike Picxelauri—were involved in spreading posts that discredited the children’s mother. These fake accounts quickly shared Pochkhua’s post across various Facebook groups.
Pro-governmental expert Gia Abashidze shared the post from the pro-governmental media outlet "POSTV - News", to nine different Facebook groups.