FM addresses deaths of Georgians in occupied regions from UN tribune

The Georgian Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze has addressed the recent death of Georgian citizen Artchil Tatunashvili in the Tskhinvali region, as well as the previous murder of Giga Otkhozoria in the occupied regions from the UN high tribune.

Janelidze, who is paying an official visit to Geneva, has delivered a speech at the UN High Level Segment of the Human Rights Council, urging the international community "to end Russian occupation in Georgia and the consequent harsh violation of human rights in the occupied regions.”

Russian occupation requires relevant consolidated response of international community. Only through international pressure, occupation and all its grave consequences can be ended, human rights protected, international law upheld pic.twitter.com/TaKro4faJU

— Mikheil Janelidze (@JanelidzeMkh) February 26, 2018

The Minister appealed to the international community to be unanimous over the issue.

The EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Federica Mogherini has told the media that "Brussels will have an adequate response” to Tatunashvili’s death.

In Georgia, a snap International Prevention and Response Mechanism meeting held today has turned out to be fruitless, as de facto Tskhinvali leadership refused to hand over Tatunashvili’s body.

The Georgian Security Service representative Kakhaber Kemoklidze stated that the occupied region representatives said that they were waiting for Russian experts to carry out an expertise on the body.

Tatunashvili is another victim of the Russian occupation of #Georgian regions Abkhazia and Tskhinvali. We call on an immediate access for international and regional human rights mechanisms on the ground. pic.twitter.com/Wg349dfIQT

— Mikheil Janelidze (@JanelidzeMkh) February 26, 2018

The de facto leadership also refused to return back identification and transport documents to two other Georgian citizens who were illegally detained together with Tatunashvili on February 22 in the occupied Akhalgori area.

The individuals have been released from the detention facility after Tatunashvili’s death. However, due to the absence of relevant documents they cannot leave the occupied region.

Tatunashvili’s family think that the man was tortured and now the de facto leadership and Russians are trying to erase traces of physical abuse, as they claim the man died of heart failure.