De facto Tskhinvali accuses Tbilisi, int’l community of ‘interference’ for condemning conviction of Georgian citizen
Georgian citizen Zaza Gakheladze was sentenced to 12 years and six months in prison earlier this week in the Russian-controlled Georgian region of Tskhinvali. Photo: Washington Post.
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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.
Gakheladze was shot and illegally detained last year near Georgia’s breakaway Tskhinvali region (on Tbilisi-controlled territory) and was sentenced to 12 years and six months in prison earlier this week.
The EU, US and many other foreign states, as well as PACE Georgia monitors, have condemned the ‘illegal detention and conviction’ and demanded Gakheladze’s ‘immediate release.’
PACE Georgia monitors Titus Corlățean and @claude_kern express deep concern at the illegal sentencing in #Tskhinvali of Georgian citizen Zaza #Gakheladze: "This is an illegal sentence by an illegal court"https://t.co/Okgd0YWo9v pic.twitter.com/9VrhR4UFe6
— PACE (@PACE_News) February 9, 2021
The de facto Foreign Ministry of Tskhinvali says that Gakheladze ‘was punished according to the crime he committed and not according to his nationality.’
De facto court in Tskhinvali found Gakheladze guilty of ‘illegally crossing the border and the attempted murder of a border guard.’
Strong statements and ultimatums for the release of Gakheladze are very absurd,” said the de facto ministry.
The aide of de facto president of Tskhinvali for post-conflict issues Murat Jioev has stated that the court has delivered ‘the lightest verdict’ in the case and that ‘groundless accusations are an insult to Russia and South Ossetia.’
The central Georgian government has stated that ‘Russia is responsible for the illegal decision’ and for all the ‘criminal and inhumane’ acts which are taking place along with the occupation of the Georgian territories of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali and urged the international community to take ‘genuine steps’ to secure the release of Gakheladze.
The United Kingdom and Norway have joined the calls of foreign states for the ‘immediate release’ of illegally convicted Georgian citizen Zaza Gakheladze by Russian-controlled 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.
The US and UNDP representation to Georgia say that they are ‘concerned and alarmed’ by the shooting and illegal detention of Georgian citizen Zaza Gakheladze, 33, by the Russian-controlled occupation forces on July 11.
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.
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.
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 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.’