Georgian citizen, illegally detained by Russian occupation forces, released

A Georgian citizen, Archil Basanidze, illegally detained by Russian occupation forces near the administrative line separating the central Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region from the rest of the country, was released on Sunday, the State Security Service of Georgia said.

The hotline for information exchange along the occupation line and “all mechanisms at the disposal” of the Government were “actively” used for the immediate release of Basanidze.

The state body stressed that the Government, together with international partners, continued to work for the release of all illegally detained Georgian citizens.