Three from Russian-occupied Abkhazia region convicted in absentia
The Georgian prosecutor general’s office on Wednesday said the members of the so-called “Gagra Group” had been convicted. Photo: idfi
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The Georgian prosecutor general’s office on Wednesday said a group of offenders from the country’s Russian-occupied north-western Abkhazia region had been convicted by court in absentia for several crimes committed between 1999-2004, based on the evidence provided by the body.
The office said the members of the so-called “Gagra Group” had been sentenced to nine years in prison each for robbery, attempted murder, kidnapping and hostage taking.
Illegal purchase, carrying and transportation of firearms was also among the crimes committed by the individuals in question, with the state body noting the crimes had taken place both in occupied Abkhazia and in the government-controlled Samegrelo region.
The individuals, currently wanted by Georgian law enforcement agencies, were put on the Otkhozoria-Tatunashvili list, a 2018-created roster of individuals who have violated the rights of Georgian citizens in the country’s occupied regions.
The list was named after Giga Otkhozoria and Archil Tatunashvili, two Georgian citizens killed in 2015 and 2018 by de-facto border guards and law enforcement officers of the Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions respectively.
Today Georgia marks the birthday of national hero Archil Tatunashvili, a former soldier, who was tortured and killed by the Russian-controlled occupation forces back in 2018 in the country’s occupied Tskhinvali region. Tatunashvili would have turned 38 today. The body of 35-year-old Tatunashvili was handed over to Tbilisi 26 days after his death with more than 100 injuries.
Otkhozoria was trying to transport food into the breakaway Abkhazia region for a funeral ceremony for his late aunt on May 19, 2016, when so-called border guards demanded he pay in exchange for being allowed to transport the goods, which caused a dispute.
Co-chairs of the Geneva Internal Discussions from the EU, UN and EU, dealing with Georgian conflict issues, are in the Russian occupied Abkhazia region of Georgia to discuss the details of the recent death of Georgian citizen Irakli Kvaratskhelia in the region.
The Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze stated today that 33 individuals have been put on the Otkhozoria-Tatunashvili list, which includes people who have violated the rights of Georgian citizens in the country’s occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) regions.Bakhtadze says that the number is expected to rise in the future.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Wednesday commemorated Archil Tatunashvili, a retired servicemember who was tortured and killed by Russian-controlled occupation forces in the country’s occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region on this day in 2018.