Bordere guards kidnap Georgian father, son from Tbilisi-controlled land

Barbed wire fence installed by Russian border guards at the occupation line in Georgia. Photo by N. Alavidze/Agenda.ge
Agenda.ge, 11 Jun 2016 - 13:28, Tbilisi,Georgia

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 Georgian father and son were kidnapped from Georgian-controlled territory, local authorities said.

The two kidnapped men have been identified as Roin Zautashvili and his son Giorgi.

The men were detained by armed border guards while they were shepherding their cattle in Bershueti village in Gori Municipality.

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.