Akhalgori so-called checkpoint temporarily opens after 40-day closure

Occupying forces have decided to temporarily open the so-called checkpoint in the Akhalgori area, currently occupied by Russia, to allow for up to 200 residents of the territory to leave the district.

The de facto leadership of Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) closed the so-called border on 11 January “to avoid the spread of the H1N1 respiratory virus,” depriving locals of access to vitally important everyday items they buy in other regions of the country.

The closure created problems for students, who needed to leave the territory and those who generally visit doctors in the other Georgian regions.

The de facto leadership says that the so-called checkpoint at the Akhalgori area, which is mainly inhabited by ethnic Georgian population, will remain open for three days.

The de facto authorities will allow only certain people to leave the territory. They have already made lists of such people. The route is opened from Akhalgori, while the entry to the area from the rest of Georgia remain closed,” the central Georgian government representative has told the media.

The de facto leadership of another Georgian occupied region, Abkhazia, which also closed the so-called border on 11 January for the same alleged reason, has already opened it.

The Tskhinvali de facto leadership says that there is still a chance of the spread of the virus and that is why the so-called borders remain closed.

The central Georgian government has condemned the closure many times, and stated that it is a violation of fundamental human rights.