Occupied Akhalgori civic activist says up to 10 dead due to illegal closure of crossing points in area

De facto Tskhinvali is demanding the removal of a police post located on Tbilisi-controlled territory in order to open the crossing points. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge. 

Agenda.ge, 13 Jan 2020 - 14:33, Tbilisi,Georgia

Civic activist Tamar Mearakishvili, who lives in Georgia’s Russian-occupied Akhalgori district, says that up to 10 people in the area have died due to delayed medical aid or other reasons related to the illegal closure of crossing points between breakaway Tskhinvali and the rest of Georgia 131 days ago

Mearakishvili has urged the Georgian government to address the European Court of Human Rights to make the de facto authorities open the crossing points.

She says that humanitarian situation on the ground is severe. 

Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Lasha Darsalia has stated that Georgia is "using all levers and is in constant communication with partners" to achieve the re-opening of the crossing points. 

He said that humanitarian issues are being used for achieving political goals, adding that Russia is making an effective control on Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions. 

De facto Tskhinvali closed crossing points with Georgia on September 4, 2019, saying that the ban will be removed when Tbilisi dismantles an ordinary police post from the village of Chorchana, located on Tbilisi-administered territory.

They say that the police post “creates security threats, as it is too close to South Ossetian territory.”