Georgia’s occupied Tskhinvali region tightens rules to address ‘illegal border crossings’
The de facto government of Tskhinvali says they detained 164 for ‘illegally crossing the border” in the first six months of 2019. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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The de facto leadership of Georgia’s eastern occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region says that ‘illegal border crossings’ between Georgia and the region have increased more than two times in the first half of 2019 compared to the same period of the last year.
As of June 24, 2019, 164 individuals have been held accountable for violating the border rules, while the figure stood at 78 in the same period of 2018,” the so-called State Security Committee of Tskhinvali reports.
The agency says that the rules for crossing the so-called border have become tougher, demanding all the locals to have identification documents with them if they decide to temporarily leave the region.
If the locals of Tskhinvali decide to conduct economic activity at “border areas”, they must notify the so-called security agency beforehand.
Georgia says that the de facto governments of Georgian regions and Russia do their utmost to make the lives of locals more complicated. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
If locals have to host people from other regions of Georgia, they will have to notify the same agency about the visits for the so-called security committee to allow passes for the visitors.
Georgian officials have stated that all the restrictions imposed by the de facto authorities and Russia in the region complicate the everyday lives of locals and worsens humanitarian situation there, as locals are in much need to have contacts with other regions of the country to meet their daily necessities.
Russia recognised the two Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) as independent states after the Russia-Georgia 2008 war.
Only Venezuela, Nicaragua, Nauru and Syria have taken the same step of recognition so far.
The rest of the international community says that the regions are occupied by Russia and urge the country to withdraw its troops from Georgian territory.
Inhabitants of the Akhalgori district in eastern Georgia, which is now occupied by Russia, will have to get special passes in order to be able to visit the rest of Georgia.
State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality of Georgia Ketevan Tsikhelashvil ihas criticised the de-facto leadership of Georgia’s occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) for their decision to close the so-called border with the rest of Georgia to avoid the spread of H1N1 flu.
De facto leaderships of two Georgian occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) have decided to close the so-called border with the rest of Georgia to “avoid the spread of H1NI,” the flu which has claimed 15 lives in Georgia.
The so-called border between the Georgian occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region and the rest of Georgia has reopened after about a two-month closure, the European Union Monitoring Mission head to Georgia Erik Hoeg has confirmed.
Georgian Reconciliation Minister Ketevan Tsikhelashvili has presented a report on peace initiative ‘Step to Better Future’ of the Georgian government when meeting with delegates of the Committee for Civilian Aspects of Crisis Management (CIVCOM) and the EU monitoring mission June 26 in Tbilisi. The presented report aimed to show the Georgian government’s position regarding the conflict resolution in Russia-occupied regions of Georgia.
The de facto leadership of Georgia’s Russian occupied region of Abkhazia announced a temporary restriction on crossing the so-called border between the region and the rest of the country amid the recent protest rallies throughout Georgia.
The Georgian State Security says that the temporary closure of the so-called border between Georgia and the country’s occupied region of Abkhazia by de facto authorities is an illegal restriction of the right of movement of locals, which isolates them and complicates their livelihoods.