Russian-controlled border guards have illegally detained two Georgian citizens at the occupation line separating the breakaway Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia) from the rest of Georgia.
The incident took place on October 29 in the village of Akhmaji in the Akhalgori municipality, local media reported.
The State Security Service of Georgia said that the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) has already been notified and communication is underway to free the detainees.
Reportedly the detainees are 43-year-old Joni Tatarashvili and 20-year-old Giorgi Shukakidze – both locals of the village of Okami in the Kaspi municipality of Georgia.
The men were accused of crossing the so-called border, which is an administrative boundary line separating the occupied region from the rest of Georgia. The occupation force treats this line as "state border.”
The illegal detention of Georgian citizens by Russian-controlled guards is a common issue in both Russian-occupied regions of Georgia – Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The detainees are usually freed only after their families pay a ransom.