Foreign diplomats, OSCE Sec-Gen visit occupation line in Georgia, meet family of illegally detained Gakheladze
Foreign diplomats and OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid visited the village of Tsitsagiantkari, in central Georgia, earlier today. Photo: Helga Maria Schmid Twitter page.
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US and Italian ambassadors and OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid have visited the village of Tsitsagiaantkari earlier today near the Russian-controlled Tskhinvali region of Georgia, where they attended the opening ceremony of a drinking water reservoir for locals and met the family of Zaza Gakhekadze, a Georgian citizen who has been illegally sentenced to 12 years in prison by de facto Tskhinvali.
The Tsitsagiaantkari village has been deprived of drinking water since the Russia-Georgia 2008 war because earlier they received fresh water from villages which are currently under Russian control.
Visited Tsitsagiaantkari where @OSCE supported a project enabling access to clean drinking water for 144 households. OSCE worked together with #Gori municipality @USAIDGeorgia @ItalyinGeorgia @ItalyatOSCE to improve situation of conflict-affected. pic.twitter.com/idwbB2SPJU
— Helga Maria Schmid (@HelgaSchmid_SG) June 14, 2021
With the involvement of the OSCE, the US and Italian embassies, the problem has been resolved for locals.
While in the village Helga Maria Schmid and foreign ambassadors met with the Gakheladze family who have been demanding the release of the illegally detained man since the summer of 2020.
Gakheladze, 33, who was shot and illegally detained by Russian-controlled occupation forces in the summer of 2020, was sentenced to 12 years and six months in prison by the de facto Supreme Court of the Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region on February 5,2021.
Gakheladze has been illegally detained since the summer of 2020.
The court found him guilty of ‘illegally crossing the border and attempted murder’ of a so-called border-guard.
The international community has condemned the incident and has called upon Russia many times to allow the release of the man.
US Ambassador Kelly Degnan has told journalists that she was happy to meet with the Gakheladze family, saying that the case is an ‘obvious example of the role Russia is playing in Georgia.’
She reiterated the US’ ‘strong support’ for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Gakheladze’s mother Nana Bunturi has stated that his son’s birthday is on June 23 and if Gakheladze is not released by his birthday ‘we will either cross into the occupation line or will take other actions. We will not stay as we are now.’
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia stated earlier today that the Georgian government, with the country’s strategic partners, will take concrete steps in the coming days to secure the release of illegally detained and convicted Georgian citizen Zaza Gakheladze by Russian-controlled occupation forces. “I have had constant communication and negotiations with our strategic partners and in the coming days we will take concrete steps to help our citizen,” Gakharia said.
The de facto Foreign Ministry of Georgia’s Russian-occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region has accused Tbilisi and the international community of interfering ‘in its internal issues’ for condemning the recent illegal conviction of Georgian citizen Zaza Gakheladze by occupation forces.
The Georgian Foreign Ministry has called on the international community to ‘take genuine steps’ to secure the release of Georgian citizen Zaza Gakheladze, who was shot and illegally detained by the Russian controlled occupation forces last year and sentenced to 12 years and six months in prison earlier today.
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.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid, who met in Tbilisi earlier today, discussed the role of the OSCE in the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Georgia and the restoration of trust among the peoples divided by the war.
OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid, who is visiting Georgia for the first time, has attended the 100th Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meeting in the village of Ergneti close to the Russian-occupied Georgian region of Tskhinvali (South Ossetia).
The de facto government of Georgia’s Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region says that a rally planned by the family of illegally convicted Georgian citizen Zaza Gakheladze tomorrow near the occupation line ‘is a provocation.’
The family of 34-year old Zaza Gakheladze, who was illegally sentenced to12 years and six months in prison in the Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region, has given the the Georgian government one month to secure the release of the man.
The Georgian government has established a commission to create a Georgian State Strategy for Deoccupation and Peaceful Conflict Resolution. The commission will be managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The commission will be set up with public involvement, and will develop an inclusive and comprehensive state strategy by the end of the year.
Russian interference further deteriorated the human rights situation in occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia), ‘with reports from local media of torture and ethnic discrimination,’ the report on Human Rights and Democracy 2020 of the United Kingdom (UK) says.
llegally detained Georgian citizen Zaza Gakheladze has been ‘pardoned’ today by the de facto president of the Russian occupied region of Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) Anatoly Bibilov. Zaza Gakheladze had been illegally detained by Russian occupying forces for more than a year. The Georgian government has been demanding the release of Zaza Gakheladze for a year on the international level, within the framework of various negotiating platforms.
Georgian State Security Service officials demanded “unconditional release” of Georgian citizens illegally arrested by Russian occupation forces at the 105th Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meeting, the platform facilitating talks between Georgian agencies and the de-facto authorities in the occupied regions of the country.
Russian occupation forces have illegally arrested a Georgian citizen near the occupied village of Zemo Artsevi, the Georgian State Security Service confirmed on March 31.
Following the arrest, the Security Service activated the European Union Monitoring Mission hotline. International partners, including the co-chairs of the Geneva International Discussions, have also been informed about the case.