Four unlawfully detained Georgian citizens released

De facto officials handed the four individuals over to Georgian law enforcers at the Ergneti checkpoint in Gori Municipality on December 24. Photo: IPN.

Agenda.ge, 24 Dec 2021 - 18:41, Tbilisi,Georgia

Four Georgian citizens illegally detained by Russian occupation forces near the village of Adzvi in Gori municipality have been released.

Russian occupation forces illegally arrested the Georgian citizens yesterday.

De facto officials handed the four individuals over to Georgian law enforcers at the Ergneti checkpoint in Gori Municipality today. 

The emergency hotline was activated by the State Security Service (SSS) of Georgia and used throughout the process of securing the release of the illegally detained individuals. Co-chairs of the Geneva discussions and other international partners were also informed of developments.

The government of Georgia [used] all the mechanisms at its disposal to release other illegally detained Georgian citizens. The Russian occupation forces are fully responsible for the destructive actions carried out in the occupied regions and along the occupation line,” the SSS said in a statement, adding that the “…harmful practice of illegal detention significantly worsen the security environment on the ground and threaten the stability of the region.”

The illegal arrest of Georgian citizens is a common issue near the occupation line, and the detainees are usually released after their families pay a fine. 

Russia recognised the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali as independent states in the wake of the Russo-Georgian war in 2008. Only Venezuela, Nicaragua, Nauru, and Syria have taken the same step of recognition so far. 

The rest of the international community acknowledges that the Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions are occupied by Russia and urges the country to withdraw its troops from Georgian territory.