State Security Service demands “unconditional release” of illegally arrested Georgian citizens from occupied territory
Marek Szczygieł, the Head of the EUMM in Georgia, called for a “humanitarian approach” to be applied during the Easter celebrations and asked for “special attention” be given to the rights of the local population, including access to religious sites and cemeteries. Photo: The State Security Service of Georgia/Facebook.
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The Georgian State Security Service officials have demanded “unconditional release” of Georgian citizens illegally arrested by the Russian occupation forces, during the latest meeting of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism in the central Georgian village of Ergneti, the state agency said on Tuesday.
The SSS made the demand to the de facto authorities of the Russian-occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region at the 106th meeting of the IPRM, the platform for facilitating talks between Georgian agencies and de facto authorities of the occupied region.
The 106th #IPRM took place today in Ergneti. The co-facilitators asked that during Easter special attention be given to the rights of local populations. Participants agreed to hold a technical meeting on irrigation issues end of April.
— EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (@EUMMGeorgia) April 12, 2022
More info: https://t.co/4KtyeDUQcO pic.twitter.com/kHLUSavmmn
In their comments, the European Union Monitoring Mission and OSCE representatives commended the commitment of the participants to the IPRM, and stressed the importance of continuing the effective use of a related EUMM-managed hotline, in anticipation of the upcoming Orthodox Easter celebrations that see active movement of civilians between communities living along the occupation line.
Marek Szczygieł, the Head of the EUMM in Georgia, called for a “humanitarian approach” to be applied during the Easter celebrations and asked for “special attention” be given to the rights of the local population, including access to religious sites and cemeteries.
During the meeting, participants discussed the impact of protracted closures of the crossing points at the Administrative Boundary Line on conflict-affected communities. The co-facilitators stressed the Odzisi Crossing Point has been closed to regular cross-ABL traffic for over two and a half years, and reiterated their call for a re-opening of the checkpoint.
The next IPRM meeting is set to be held on June 7.