10,000 GEL collected for 73-year-old man fined for selling tulips

A total of 10,000 GEL has been collected via a social media campaign in two days for a 73-year old man who was fined by police in Georgia’s Eastern town of Telavi for selling tulips on Palm Sunday, April 12.

The movement ‘Lets Help Elderly People’ is one of several large groups of social activists on Facebook who launched the campaign to help Karaulashvili. They created a bank account, published on their official Facebook page and urged people to donate. 

In an interview with RFE/RL Misha Karaulashvili said:

I went out to buy medicine and took out 70 tulips to sell, as I didn’t have enough money for the medicine. I was standing in front of the church and tried to sell the flowers… I had sold only nine tulips when the police fined me. I begged them not to fine me, as I have three orphan grandchildren at home, but in vain.”

Karaulashvili has published his document of the fine, which reads:

Mikheil Karaulashvili was carrying out activities prohibited during the state of emergency, in particular, selling flowers. Karaulashvili is fined 3,000 GEL according to the March 21 decree of the President of Georgia”.

The movement ‘Lets Help Elderly People’ says that Mikheil Karaulashvili will get the money collected for him today.

I don’t know how, but even after deleting the bank account number [from Facebook], strangers were transferring money. We want to thank you all for this. The money will be transferred to Misha tomorrow and it will be enough for him for a few months. Thank you so much for your kindness and support”, reads the official statement of the movement written in its Facebook group.

The Mayor of Telavi, Shota Nareklishvili told Rustavi 2 that Misha Karauashvili does not have a status of socially vulnerable person and had never applied to the City Hall for the status.

After being fined, I met with Misha Karaulashvili. He told me that his family needed food, as they have three orphan granddaughters in the family. Later the City Hall provided his family with minimum food basket”, says Nareklishvili.

RFL/FE reports that Karaulashvili is consulting with lawyers before paying the fine. He was offered free legal services by local lawyers. The case may also be appealed in court.