EU Special Representative for South Caucasus concerned about death of Georgian citizen in occupied Tskhinvali
Tweet 
Share
The European Union (EU) Special Representative for the South Caucasus Toivo Klaar is concerned about the death of Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili in the country’s Russian occupied Tskhinvali region.
Klaar believes the upcoming Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meeting scheduled on March 1 is the right format to establish facts about the case.
Very concerned about death in custody in Tskhinvali of GEO citizen Archil Tatunashvili. EUMM hotline was activated and upcoming IPRM right format to establish facts
— Toivo Klaar (@ToivoKlaar) February 23, 2018
The IPRM was created in February 2009 following the 2008 Russia-Georgia conflict to address security concerns and ensure the protection of human rights in the occupied regions.
The Georgian State Security Service has reported that Archil Tatunashvili, Levan Kutashvili and Ioseb Pavliashvili were illegally detained by occupying forces in the Akhalgori region of Georgia the day before yesterday.
According to the Local Governor of Akhalgori Nugzar Tinikashvili, the three had been travelling along the occupation line in the past couple of years to sell fruits and vegetables, however, never faced any obstacles before.
The Georgian Public Defender’s Office believes when Tatunashvili was taken to the hospital he was already dead.
Public Defender Nino Lomjaria called upon the occupation forces to immediately give Tatunashvili’s body to the Georgian Government to carry out a medical analysis and define the date and reasons of his death.
Georgian Foreign Ministry also condemned the occupation forces for their criminal activities that ended with the death of Tatunashvili and the illegal detention of Kutashvili and Pavliashvili.
MFA condemns the death of Archil Tatunashvili followed after unlawful activities of the occupation regime. Such illegal actions,victims of which become Georgian citizens,reveals the necessity of immediate creation of international mechanisms on the ground https://t.co/yi2JOl7eeRpic.twitter.com/ien2TRWKD5
— MFA of Georgia (@MFAgovge) February 23, 2018
Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili went to Tatunashvili’s family to offer his condolence yesterday.
Extended my condolences to the family of Archil Tatunashvili, Our brother in arms, a Georgian soldier who served global peace and security for several years has been killed on the occupied territory. Another sad page in the occupation history! pic.twitter.com/RQisRcRofd
— President Of Georgia (@MargvelashviliG) February 23, 2018
Tskhinvali media reported that 35-year-old Tatunashvili was detained in Akhalgori for "cooperating with Georgian law enforcers and participating in the Russia-Georgia 2008 war.”
They claimed that after being interrogated, law enforcers tried to move Tatunashvili to a detention facility, who "resisted and tried to seize a weapon from a guard.”
Georgian media reports that during the August War of 2008 Tatunashvili was serving in a peace-keeping misison in Iraq.
The Government of Georgia has demanded "clear and comprehensive information” on the death of Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili in the country’s occupied Tskhinvali region today.
The de-facto authorities of Georgia’s Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia) have closed the administrative border separating the breakaway area from the rest of Georgia for two days.
Georgia’s permanent representative to the UN Kaha Imnadze has briefed UN members on human rights and security situation in Russian-occupied Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali.
Tomorrow marks the ninth anniversary of the most tragic day in Georgia’s recent history – the beginning of the five-day war between Russia and Georgia on August 8 in 2008.
The latest developments in Georgia’s Russian occupied region of Tskhinvali (South Ossetia), in particular the tragic death of Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili and the detention of two others, are a source of grave concern, the European Union (EU) Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Service said in its recent statement.
The Georgian Dream majority has initiated the adoption of a resolution over the recent death of Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili in occupied Tskhinvali.
The Georgian Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze has addressed the recent death of Georgian citizen Artchil Tatunashvili in the Tskhinvali region, as well as the previous murder of Giga Otkhozoria in the occupied regions from the UN high tribune.
The co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for the monitoring of Georgia, Kerstin Lundgren and Titus Corlatean, have expressed their deep concern and condemned the death of Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili while being detained by the de facto authorities in Georgia’s Russian occupied region of Tskhinvali (South Ossetia).
The United States (US) Embassy to Georgia expressed its deep concern over the death of Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili during his February 22 arrest and detention in the Russian occupied region of Georgia – Tskhinvali (South Ossetia).
The United Nation’s Human Rights Office has twitted about the death of the Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili in the country’s occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region.
The international community continues to condemn the death of Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili in unclear circumstances in the occupied Tskhinvali region. The Director for Eastern Europe of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany Andreas Peschke has tweeted that his country shares the EU’s concerns over the death.
James Appathurai, NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia has expressed his deep concern with the latest developments in the Russian occupied region of Georgia – Tskhinvali (South Ossetia).
The Georgian Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze has paid particular attention to the most recent death of Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili in the country’s occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region during his meeting with Michael Moller, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva.
The Georgian Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia has stated that the government of Georgia is doing its utmost to achieve the handing over of Tatunashvili’s body.
Georgian students living in London have gathered in front of the Russian Embassy to condemn the death of Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili in Georgia’s Russian occupied region of Tskhinvali (South Ossetia).
Georgian parliamentary members from the ruling and opposition parties have agreed on adopting a joint resolution over the recent death of Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili in the Russian occupied region of Tskhinvali.
The Akhalgori municipality governor which is under Russia’s control since the Russia-Georgia 2008 war says that the de facto leadership of breakaway Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) has announced certain restrictions for ethnic Georgian farmers.
The current situation in the Georgian occupied territories was the key topic of discussion between Georgian PM Mamuka Bakhtadze and EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia Toivo Klaar late yesterday.
The European Union Special Representative for the South Caucasus Toivo Klaar and Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani discussed the security and humanitarian situation in the Russian-occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions yesterday.