De facto Tskhinvali says it detained 38 in August for ‘illegally crossing the border’
The illegal detention of Georgian citizens is a common issue near the occupation line. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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The de facto authorities of Georgia’s Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region say that they detained 38 individuals last month for ‘illegally crossing the border’, while the figure stood at 19 in July.
The de facto authorities stated that 22 of the 38 individuals were fined, while others were able to leave Tskhinvali territory without paying a fine.
The illegal detention of Georgian citizens is a common issue near the occupation line.
Illegally detained Georgian citizens are mostly released after their families pay a fine, however, there have been several cases of Georgian citizens dying while in custody.
The standard fine is 2,000 Russian rubles ($27 USD).
Russia recognised the Georgian regions of Tskhinvali and Abkhazia as independent states in the wake of the Russia-Georgia 2008 war.
Only Venezuela, Nicaragua, Nauru and Syria have taken the same step of recognition so far.
The rest of the international community says that the regions are occupied by Russia and urge the country to withdraw its troops from Georgian territories.
The spokesperson of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Oleg Nikolenko stated yesterday that the illegal decision to sentence Zaza Gakheladze to 12 years and six months in the Russian-occupied Georgian region of Tskhinvali ‘grossly violates’ the norms and principles of international law and Russia’s obligations under the 2008 ceasefire agreement.
United States Acting Deputy Chief of Mission to the OSCE Elisabeth Rosenstock-Siller said in her address to the Permanent Council on Thursday that the US condemns the recent sentencing of Georgian citizen Zaza Gakheladze in Russian-occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region.
The Georgian State Security Service says that 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.
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.
Tbilisi has strongly condemned the opening of about 20 polling stations in Georgia’s Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region for the September 19 Duma elections of Russia, stating that the step is an ‘obvious example’ of annexation. The Georgian Foreign Ministry says that Russia ‘once again violated the international law’ and urged the international community to give a ‘due response’ to the country’s illegal activities in Georgia.
The de facto government of Georgia’s Russian-occupied Abkhazia region has temporarily closed the only checkpoint to the Tbilisi-controlled territory ahead of municipal election run-offs on Saturday.