Giorgi Giunashvili released after illegal 18-month detention in Tskhinvali jail
Tweet 
Share
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).
The security situation on the administrative boundary line (ABL) between Georgia and its Russian occupied region of Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) was assessed as relatively stable, European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM) said.
An Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meeting was held today in Ergneti village several kilometers away from the Russian occupied Georgian region of Tskhinvali (South Ossetia), where security conditions along the occupation line were on the top of agenda.
The State Security Service of Georgia is committed to securing the release of Giorgi Giunashvili – a Georgian citizen sentenced to 20 years in prison by an unrecognised court in Georgia's Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region.
An unrecognised court in Georgia's Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia) has sentenced a Georgian citizen to 20 years in prison for alleged crimes that Tbilisi says "are absurd”.
Georgia’s State Security Service (SSS) says that after today’s International Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meeting in Gali in occupied Abkhazia, some illegally detained people may leave prison.
Georgian officials, representatives of international organisations and de-facto authorities from Georgia’s Russian-occupied region of Tskhinvali have gathered around the table in Ergneti to discuss issues that concern people living along the occupation line today.
The government of Georgia has once again raised the issue of handing over the murderer of Georgian citizen Giga Otkhozoria at the 52nd Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meeting in Gali, in occupied Abkhazia.
A Georgian citizen Giorgi Zarandia has been illegally detained for allegedly crossing the occupation line between Georgia and its Russian-occupied region of Abkhazia.