Georgian citizen illegally detained by occupation forces released

Giorgi Jarmelishvili, a Georgian citizen illegally detained near central Georgia’s Russian-occupied village of Zemo Artsevi by occupation forces earlier this week, was released on Thursday, the state security service of Georgia said.

The agency said Jarmelishvili was on government-controlled territory, after both the hotline mechanism and other tools had been “actively used” in securing his release.

The information was also provided to the co-chairs of the Geneva International Discussions and international partners.

The service also said the government continued to “work actively” for securing release of other Georgian citizens illegally detained both near the central Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region and occupied Abkhazia in the north-west.

Illegal arrests of Georgian nationals are a common issue alongside the occupation line separating the regions from the rest of the country.