Georgian citizen illegally detained by occupation forces released

A Georgian citizen illegally detained by de facto authorities of central Georgia's Russian-occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region in June was released on Friday, the State Security Service said.

Ivane Iluridze had been arrested adjacent to the village of Akhmaji in the Akhalgori municipality, with the Service saying it had used the hotline designed for information exchange along the occupation line and “all mechanisms at the disposal” of the Government to ensure his release.

The state body stressed the Government, together with its international partners, continued to work for the release of “all illegally detained” Georgian citizens from the de facto authorities’ custody.