Occupation forces move arrested citizen from quarantine to detention
Gakheladze was shot and arrested with the charge of crossing a "state border". Photo: Nino Alavidze/agenda.ge.
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A Georgian citizen arrested earlier this month has been moved from quarantine to detention by de-facto authorities in the occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region in central Georgia.
The State Security Service of Georgia received the news about Zaza Gakheladze, 33, who was shot and then arrested on July 11 near the administrative boundary line separating the region from Georgian-controlled territory.
The state agency said it had been notified that Gakheladze's health was in adequate condition and his life was not in danger from the injury.
The de-facto authorities, including Tigran Kabulov, the "Military Prosecutor" in the occupied region, allege Gakheladze, resident of central Georgia's Kaspi Municipality village of Kvemo Tchala, was first to open fire on "border protection staff", and was injured in return fire. Relatives of the citizen have said Gakheladze had been gathering mushrooms near the occupation line when he was arrested.
He was moved to Akhalgori, a town on the occupied side of the administrative boundary, following the arrest, with the de-facto Security Committee of South Ossetia releasing the information to family later.
Kabulov's de-facto prosecution service is charging the Georgian citizen with an "attempt on life of military servicemember" and "unlawful crossing of state border".
The US Department of States has strongly condemned the shooting and illegal detention of Georgian citizen Zaza Gakheladze, 33, by the Russian-controlled occupation forces on July 11.
The Georgian man wounded and arrested by occupation forces near the Kvemo Tchala village in central Georgia on Saturday has been reportedly moved from the town of Akhalgori to the occupied Tskhinvali.
All tools of the Georgian government as well as its international partners are involved in efforts to return the citizen shot and arrested by occupation forces last week, prime minister Giorgi Gakharia told local media on Saturday.
A Georgian citizen was shot and arrested near the administrative line dividing the occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region from the Georgian-controlled territory on Saturday, with the de-facto authorities taking the man to detention in the occupied Akhalgori town.
A Russian helicopter has violated Georgian airspace during a meeting of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) in the village of Ergneti earlier today, between representatives of the central Georgian government and the Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region.
After six months of pre-trial detention, the so-called trial of illegally detained Zaza Gakheladze was held today in Russia-occupied Tskhinvali region. RFE/RL reports that several witnesses and Gakheladze were questioned at the hearing.
Russian occupation forces have illegally detained three citizens of Georgia near the village of Khurcha in Zugdidi Municipality, on territory controlled by the central government of Georgia, on January 18 at about 20:30, announces the State Security Service of Georgia. The State Security Service of Georgia has activated the hotline and demanded the immediate release of the illegally detained individuals.
Georgian citizen Zaza Gakheladze, who was shot and illegally detained by Russian-controlled occupation forces in the summer of 2020, has been sentenced to 12 years and six months in prison by the de facto Supreme Court of the Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region.