Georgian citizens illegally detained by occupation forces released

Georgian citizens illegally detained by de facto authorities of central Georgia's Russian-occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region were released, the State Security Service said on Wednesday.

The Service said it had used the hotline designed for information exchange along the occupation line and “all relevant mechanisms at the disposal” of the Government to ensure the release of Tristan Mushkiashvili and Valeri Tetruashvili, who had been arrested adjacent to the village of Dirbi in central Georgia’s Kareli municipality.

The body noted it was working actively to ensure the release of another Georgian citizen, detained together with Mushkiashvili and Tetruashvili, who still remained in illegal custody.

The state body also said the Government and its international partners continued to “work for the release of all Georgian citizens illegally detained” by the de facto authorities.