Dear Colleagues, I have no explanation for the disappearance of Mamuka Jibladze during eight days from his home in Tbilisi. I only know that he has come back home. He may not want to talk about it. The minute I learn anything I will communicate with you. In connection with this case, I received many private communications, but I single out two. One colleague wrote to me privately yesterday something with which I agree:"I guess if Mamuka had been picked up for a week by State Security and then released near that hotel, it might be impolitic for such news to be revealed. On the other hand, if Mamuka just had to take a week-long break (a "personal week," as the HR offices might call it), it might be too embarrassing for that to be revealed as well. So we in the great outside world may just never know. And I guess we should just come to learn to live with that uncertainty." Another colleague accused me privtely today of crying wolf and of giving no explanation or apology to the categories world as "it has all come to nothing".First of all, we do not know whether the protests that his disappearance has generated were not directly linked to his "release" or "reappearance". Secondly, the Georgian HUman Rights Ornagzation was quite alarmed becuse of the possible political aspects in connection with the resignation of Maia Miminasvili as head of the National Examination Center in Georgia and of the subsequent resignation of Mamuka Jibladze along with 60 other employees, most of whom received serious threats to themselves or their families. So, I repeat, we do not know if what some of us did ws "for nothing". I am in touch with Amnesty International in case there are further developments that warrant their intervention. As for apologizing, this is out of place. Should any of us disppeared in a country with a bad human rights record, I advise strongly to cry out immediately, even if in the end we may be accused of crying wolf. With relief, for now. Marta [For admin and other information see: http://www.mta.ca/~cat-dist/ ]