Giorgi Giunashvili released after illegal 18-month detention in Tskhinvali jail

Giunashvili who had spent almost 18 months in illegal detention, was handed over to the representatives of Georgian government today. Photo by Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge

Agenda.ge, 26 Nov 2017 - 21:31, Tbilisi,Georgia

A Georgian citizen sentenced to 20 years in prison for alleged crimes by an unrecognised court in Georgia's Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia) has been released today.

Giorgi Giunashvili, 39, was illegally arrested by Russian occupation forces for so-called "illegal crossing of the state border” – the administrative boundary line between Tskhinvali region and the rest of Georgia on June 8, 2016.

According to Georgia’s State Security Service, Giunashvili who had spent almost 18 months in illegal detention, was handed over to the representatives of Georgian government today.

The illegal detention of Giunashvili has always been one of the main issues discussed at Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meeting held in Ergneti village - several kilometers away from Tskhinvali region.

Kakha Kemoklidze, Deputy Head of the Information-Analytical Department under the State Security Service and representatives of Reconciliation and Interior ministries met Giunashvili at Ergneti village and took him home.

Currently Giunashvili resides with his family at the temporary settlement for internally displaced persons (IDPs).