Occupied Tskhinvali court drops all charges against Georgian civic activist Mearakishvili

A court in Georgia’s occupied Akhalgori district, currently under the control of Russia and de facto government of Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) of Georgia, has removed all three charges against Georgian civic activist Tamar Mearakishvili earlier today and allowed her leave the region.

Mearakishvili said she had been charged by the de facto Prosecutor’s Office of Tskhinvali for her civic activities in the region and they made it impossible for her to leave the region starting from August 2017.

Mearakishvili was officially charged with illegally receiving the “citizenship of South Ossetia” via fake documentation, in parallel with possessing Georgian citizenship and of blackmailing the ruling party of occupied Tskhinvali.

The prosecution has the right to appeal the verdict.

In May 2018 Georgian Public Defender Nino Lomjaria nominated Mearakishvili for the United Nations Human Rights Prize and Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize for her "outstanding contribution to defending the rights of the conflict-affected population”.

The Embassy of Netherlands to Georgia awarded Mearakishvili with the Human Rights Tulip award and a monetary prize back in December 2018.