Occupants release illegally detained Georgian man

The de facto leadership of Georgia’s eastern occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region has released a Georgian citizen Temur Dudashvili, who was illegally detained by the Russia-controlled so-called border guards yesterday.

The man was detained near Khurvaleti village of Gori municipality when he was herding the cattle.

The government of Georgia and the European Union Monitoring Mission have been involved in the negotiations over the release of the man.

The same day the occupants detained a Georgian cleric Ioane Okhanashvili with the same charge near Dvani village of Kareli municipality, but he was released on the same evening.

The Russian-controlled border guards frequently illegally detain Georgian citizens for crossing of so-called border and in most cases release them after paying a fine, amounting about $32.