Border guards kidnap two Georgian men at ABL with de facto Tskhinvali

Two Georgian men have been detained by Russian-controlled border guards stationed at the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) separating de facto Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region from the rest of Georgia.

The two men were kidnapped from Georgian-controlled territory.

Earlier today border guards also kidnapped a 16-year-old boy from Georgia’s Plavismani village, located in eastern Gori municipality however he was released a short time later, said locals.

The two kidnapped men have been identified as Giorgi Sokhateri, 33 and Vakhtang Mchedlishvili, 63. 

Both men were detained by armed border guards while they were on Georgian land; Sokhateri was detained while he was in Plavismani village, while Mchedlishvili was kidnapped from Adzvi village, which is also in the Gori municipality. 

The Sokhateri family said 33-year-old Giorgi suffered serious health problems and he could potentially be in serious health trouble.

The family added they were extremely poor and had no money to pay the fine for the release of their family member.

Locals presumed the two kidnapped men had been taken to a detention centre in Tskhinvali and charged with illegally crossing the so-called border. Like previous cases, it is expected the men will be released once their families pay a fine.