De facto president on abducted Georgian doctor: ‘sentence is fair, the crime must be punished’
De facto President of Tskhinvali Anatoly Bibilov says that the international community “closes its eyes to violations committed by Georgia in South Ossetia, while Gaprindashvili’s detention was widely condemned.” Photo: sputnik.
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De facto President of Georgia’s Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region Anatoly Bibilov says that the sentence of well-known Georgian doctor Vazha Gaprindashvili to one year and nine months in prison is “a fair punishment.”
When an individual crosses the border and does this deliberately he must be held accountable,” Bibilov said.
Gaprindashvili was abducted on November 9 and was illegally sentenced to one year and nine months in prison on December 20 “for deliberately crossing the border.”
Gaprindashvilli refuses to admit to “crossing the border,” saying that Tskhinvali is part of Georgia and is now occupied by Russia.
Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani and UN Under Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo have spoken about the abduction of well-known Georgian doctor Vazha Gaprindashvili and his illegal sentencing to prison by the Russian-controlled de facto Tskhinvali in a phone conversation, the Georgian Foreign Ministry reported earlier today.
Ambassadors of the United Kingdom and Germany to Georgia, Justin McKenzie Smith and Hubert Knirsch have expressed hope that Georgian doctor Vazha Gaprindashvili, who has been sentenced to one year and nine months to prison in Tskhinvali, will be released soon.
Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani has condemned the decision of Russian controlled de facto Tskhinvali to sentence well-known Georgian doctor Vazha Gaprindashvili to one year and nine months in prison and stated that the illegal detention was a “deliberate provocation.”
The court in Georgia’s Russian-controlled Tskhinvali region has sentenced a well-known Georgian doctor Vazha Gaprindashvili to one year and nine-months to prison for “deliberately crossing the border,” despite a large-scale local and international campaign for the release of the abducted doctor. The information has been released by head of Georgia’s Bar Association David Asatiani.
A working group has been created by the family of well-known Georgian doctor Vazha Gaprindashvili to help organize his release after he was abducted by Russian-controlled occupation forces on November 9, 2019.
Well-known Georgian doctor Vazha Gaprindashvili, who was sentenced to one year and nine months in Tskhinvali prison, was released today. The State Security Service of Georgia reported that he is now on Tbilisi-controlled territory now.
Georgian doctor Vazha Gaprindashvili, who was released from Tskhinvali prison today, thanked everyone for supporting him since his detention.
International community has welcomed the release of well-known Georgian doctor Vazha Gaprindashvili from Tskhinvali prison. Gaprindashvili, who was sentenced to one year and nine months in Tskhinvali prison, was released earlier today.
Georgian doctor Vazha Gaprindashvili, who was released from Tskhinvali prison yesterday, said he wrote a pardon letter to de facto Tskhinvali President Anatoly Bibilov on December 27, but he never admitted crossing the so-called border.
Doctor Vazha Gaprindashvili, who spent 49 days in illegal detention in Georgia’s Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region, says in his letter that his release was the result of joint efforts and unity.