Humanitarian crisis in occupied Akhalgori reaches critical level, locals unable to receive pensions
“Locals are not able to come to the territory controlled by the central government of Georgia to receive quality medical care and pensions. They can not see their family members and relatives … There is a shortage of cattle and dairy products in the occupied villages”, said Akhalgori Governor Nugzar Tinikashvili.
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Georgia’s Russia-occupied municipality of Akhalgori faces a humanitarian crisis, as the area has been completely closed due to the coronavirus pandemic nearly six months and locals are unable to receive their pensions, IPN reports.
Akhalgori Governor Nugzar Tinikashvili, who confirmed the information says that the socio-economic situation in occupied Akhalgori has reached a critical level.
Locals are not able to come to the territory controlled by the central government of Georgia to receive quality medical care and pensions. They can not see their family members and relatives … There is a shortage of cattle and dairy products in the occupied villages”, said Tinikashvili.
Georgia’s new Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality Tea Akhvlediani said the situation is extremely difficult in Akhalgori municipality.
The population has been in practical captivity for six months. They can not come to Tbilisi-controlled territory to buy products. It has been nearly three years since the occupation regime banned cattle from entering the Akhalgori area, creating additional problems for locals'', said Akhvlediani while visiting occupied villages of Gegutiantkari, Khurvaleti and Odzisi, alongside the occupation line of Tskhinvali/South Ossetia.
Akhvlediani has also visited the families of illegally abducted citizens, Zaza Gakheladze and Khvicha Mghebrishvili, to whom the minister introduced the ongoing efforts of the Georgian authorities to secure the release Georgian citizens from the occupying regime.
18 Georgian NGOs have urged EU, UN, OSCE top officials and heads of international organisations to increase pressure on Russia, which effectively controls the two Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali, to make it open crossing points between its controlled Akhalgori district and the rest of Georgia, to cease arbitrary detention of people and to allow international monitoring missions ‘unimpeded access’ to the occupied territories.
Georgian officials have expressed their concern that Georgian citizen Khvicha Mghebrishvili has been recently sentenced to three months of pretrial detention by a so-called court in the Russia-occupied Tskhinvali region.
Khvicha Mghebrishvili, 45, a local of central Georgia's Mejvriskhevi village, who was arrested by occupation forces near the administrative line bordering occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) on July 3 has been sentenced to three months of pre-trial detention by a so-called court of the occupied Tskhinvali region.
The 96th Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meeting will be held in Ergneti on July 30 in order to resume the dialogue to reduce tensions and prevent incidents along the South Ossetian/Tskhinvali Administrative Boundary Line.
The Democracy Research Institute (DRI) reports that the de-facto authorities of South Ossetia have launched a so-called ‘Family Reunification Programme’, which allows ethnic Georgians in the heavily-Georgian district of Akhalgori to relocate to areas controlled by Tbilisi where their family members live.
Georgian believers do not have the opportunity to exercise their faith and cultural rights in the language of their choice, from their church clergymen, in traditional cult buildings, the Democracy Research Institute (DRI) says.
A resident of the mountainous village of Midelaani in Russian-occupied Akhalgori municipality has been detained for 48 hours and his house was searched by the State Security Committee (KGB) of Russian occupied South Ossetia (Tskhinvali Region) on October 8, the Democracy Research Institute (DRI) reports.