DRI NGO: ‘seven illegally arrested Georgian citizens remain in de facto Tskhinvali prison’
The Democracy Research Institute calls on the Georgian authorities to take immediate measures to clarify the legal status of Georgian citizens arrested in Tskhinvali and to provide comprehensive information to the public. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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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.
The Georgia government fails to provide adequate protection and security to the population living along the occupation line”, the DRI says.
Russian occupation forces arrested three individuals on October 5 and another two on December 10. The identities of the five individuals have not been made public, and their current status is unknown.
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Occupation forces abducted former soldier Mamuka Chkhikvadze from the village of Nikozi on December 12, 2021.
The DRI says that, according to unofficial information, Chkhikvadze was beaten.
Mamuka Janelidze, who was arrested on December 1 and released on December 4 pointed to physical violence by the guards.
Gela Gochoshvili was arrested for ‘crossing the border’ on August 14, 2021. His family lives in the Kaspi district and he has other family members in Russia-occupied Akhalgori.
Gochoshvili’s arrest became known to Georgian high officials late September.
The DRI says that Gochoshvili is charged with other criminal offences besides crossing the border. Information about his health is still unknown.
The lack of information and passivity at the international level on the basis of the number of arrests by the Georgian authorities carries with it the risk that the fundamental rights of the arrested individuals are likely to be violated and their lives and health are in danger”, says DRI.
The DRI calls on the Georgian authorities to take immediate measures to clarify the legal status of Georgian citizens arrested in Tskhinvali and to provide comprehensive information to the public.
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.
The Democracy Research Institute says a teacher in a Georgian school in Akhalgori was arrested a few days ago on charges of ‘collaborating with the Georgian security forces’ and of providing information to the Georgian side about the Russian military forces.
The occupying forces in the two Russia-controlled Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) have detained 327 Georgian citizens for “illegally crossing the border” between 2017 and 2019, the Georgian State Security Service says. The agency reports that 242 of 327 were detained for “illegally crossing the border” between Georgia and its eastern occupied Tskhinvali region.
Georgian doctor Vazha Gaprindashvili, who was released from Tskhinvali prison yesterday, said he wrote a pardon letter to de facto Tskhinvali President Anatoly Bibilov on December 27, but he never admitted crossing the so-called border.
Illegally arrested Georgian citizen Gela Gochoshvili has been released from prison in Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region, the Georgian State Security Service reported earlier today.
Russian occupation forces have illegally arrested four Georgian citizens near the village of Adzvi in Gori municipality. The State Security Service (SSS) of Georgia reported that the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) and co-chairs of the Geneva International Discussions (GID) have been informed about the case.
Four Georgian citizens illegally detained by Russian occupation forces near the village of Adzvi in Gori municipality have been released. Russian occupation forces illegally arrested the Georgian citizens yesterday on December 23.