Unconditional release of Georgian citizens illegally detained by occupation forces at top of IPRM meeting agenda
Co-facilitators of the IPRM stressed the importance of continued dialogue and called the sides to mutually acceptable solutions. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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The unconditional release of Georgian citizens illegally detained by occupation forces has been at the top of the agenda of the 101st meeting of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM), which was held today in Ergneti, close to the Russian occupied region of Tskhinvali (South Ossetia).
The issue of releasing Zaza Gakheladze and Genadi Bestaev, who are illegally detained in a prison in Tskhinvali, was discussed at the meeting.
Deputy Head of the Analytical Department of Georgia's State Security Service Irakli Antadze underscored that the main topic of today’s meeting was the issue of Zaza Gakheladze and Genadi Bestaev and noted that some opportunities have been defined regarding Gakheladze’s case.
Work on this issue continues not only at meetings but also on a daily basis...for a number of reasons, I will refrain from talking about the details,” said Irakli Antadze before the IPRM meeting started.
Irakli Antadze also noted that another important topic of discussion was all the significant incidents along the occupation line, including the illegal ‘borderization,’ which currently is in an active phase, said Antadze.
The EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia reported that the IPRM participants exchanged views on the impact of the prolonged closure of crossing points and other restrictions affecting the conflict-affected population.
The #IPRM participants exchange views on the impact of the prolonged closure of crossing points and other restrictions affecting the conflict-affected population, the most recent security developments at the Administrative Boundary Line, and the consequences of COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/VYI0xUVIZd
— EUMM Georgia (@EUMMGeorgia) July 13, 2021
The representative of the Georgian State Ministry for Reconciliation Zviad Zviadadze said that the humanitarian issues concerning the local population were also on the agenda of the meeting.
At today's meeting, in parallel with the situation along the dividing line and the issue of the release of our fellow citizens, other humanitarian problems concerning the local population will be discussed”, said Zviadadze earlier today.
Co-facilitators of the IPRM stressed the importance of continued dialogue and called the sides to mutually acceptable solutions.
Co-facilitators of the #IPRM stressed the importance of continued dialogue and called for mutually acceptable solutions that respond positively to the needs and human rights of the conflict-affected communities. pic.twitter.com/Wmw6TuEPxW
— EUMM Georgia (@EUMMGeorgia) July 13, 2021
A technical meeting was held in Ergneti several days ago, where the provision of irrigation water to the villages close to the occupation line and the planning of specific measures to solve the problems in this direction were discussed.
Genadi Bestaev, illegally detained by the Russian occupation forces in November 2019 for 'illegally crossing the border and possession of drugs', has been sentenced to three years in prison by the so-called Tskhinvali court, reports the State Security Service of Georgia.
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.
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.
A joint landmark declaration on foreign and security policy cooperation between the United Kingdom (UK) and Germany supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia and the full implementation of the 2008 ceasefire agreement.
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.
The European Union says it will continue to raise Russia’s consistent breaches of international law in Ukraine, Georgia, and elsewhere prominently, including through initiatives with like-minded partners.
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.
Zaza Gakheladze, an illegally detained Georgian citizen who was ‘pardoned’ by the de facto president of the Russian-occupied Georgian region of Tskhinvali (South Ossetia), says he did not expect to be released today.
The international community has welcomed the release of Georgian citizen Zaza Gakheladze after more than a year of illegal detention in Georgia’s Russian-occupied region of Tskhinvali (South Ossetia). Gakheladze, who was shot and illegally detained by Russian-controlled occupation forces in the summer 2020 and sentenced to 12 years and six months in prison, was ‘pardoned’ by the de facto president of Tskhinvali yesterday.
The release of Georgian citizen Gela Gochoshvili who was detained by the Russian occupation forces several months ago, and the illegal ‘borderisation’ process remained at the top of agenda of the 103th Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) which was held in Ergneti earlier today.
Seven illegally arrested Georgian citizens remain in de facto Tskhinvali prison, the Democracy Research Institute NGO reports. The DRI reports that the arrest of Georgian citizens on charges of ‘illegal border crossing’ without any legal basis has become more frequent as a consequence of active ‘borderisation’. The Georgian authorities do not have a clear public position on the issue.