Georgian citizen illegally detained near occupied Tskhinvali last year released

Georgian citizen Lasha Khetereli, who was illegally detained by the occupation forces close to the Russian-occupied Georgian region of Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) a year ago, has been released. 

Khetereli, who is the local of Liakhvi gorge is an internally displaced person (IDP), who has been detained for ‘illegally crossing’ the so-called border several times before. 

• Reintegration Minister says illegal detention at occupation line worsens humanitarian situation on the ground

State Security Service representative Giorgi Sabedashvili said the issues of Khetereli, as well as other Georgian citizens illegally detained by the occupation forces, has been raised at the Geneva International Discussions and its Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meetings.

All of the other Georgian citizens will be released from the illegal detention like Lasha Khetereli. The state spares no efforts to ensure timely release of every illegal detainee”, Sabedashvili said. 

He also added that the hotline managed by the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) has been actively used for communication with Khetereli since his detention. 

Having detained Khetereli for ‘illegally crossing’ the so-called border on June 30, 2020, the de facto Tskhinvali authorities released him after his prison term expired, based on reports from Tskhinvali.

• State Security Service: illegal detention of Georgian citizens by occupation forces is a common issue since 2008

Illegal detention of Georgian citizens by the Russian-controlled occupation forces for so-called  ‘illegally crossing the border’ is a common issue since Russia-Georgia 2008.