News

On 4 January 2010, special services of Georgia abducted a citizen of South Ossetia Gennady Pliev from the southern outskirts of Tskhinval adjacent to the borderline with Georgia. Reportedly, he received criminal charges in Georgia and placed in a pre-trial detention facility. The authorities of South Ossetia invited the EU military monitors (EUMM) who could see on the ground that the abduction was made 400-500 meters from the state border between South Ossetia and Georgia, where evidences of fighting and blood were still visible proving a forceful seizure of Pliev. In the meantime, the explanation given by the authorities of Georgia seemed senseless. They vary from the allegations that Pliev was detained on the territory of Georgia in the village of Nikozi and that he was armed, or he voluntary crossed the border and asked for asylum, or he was claimed to be an “Ossetian terrorist”.

The South Ossetian side has invited monitors of the EU have a spot visit to the place where Gennady Pliev, a citizen of South Ossetia was abducted from yesterday morning”. “Today, at 13:00 monitors of the EU are arriving in South Ossetia”, reported the Special Representative for Post-Conflict Settlement Boris Chochiev. “We are going to take them to the spot, where the signs of fighting and blood are still visible”. Gennady Pliev, South Ossetian citizen was abducted at around 7:00 a.m. on 4 January 2010 in the Shanghai district of Tskhinval, adjacent to the border with Georgia. According to witnesses, the abduction was made by a group of five persons.

The Transkam road connecting South Ossetia with Russia is still closed for movement, reported the Minister for Emergency Situation of South Ossetia Anatoly Bibilov. “At the South Ossetian section of the Transkam necessary road cleaning works were completed. Presently, the snowfall has stopped, the road to Roksky tunnel has been cleaned, reported Anatoly Bibilov. The road on the North Ossetian part is still closed due to bad weather conditions.

As reported by independent informational agency “ARV: of South Ossetia, on 4 January, Georgian special services organized another provocation with abduction of South Ossetian citizen Gennady Gavrilovich Pliev. “South Ossetian citizen Gennady Pliev was abducted at approximately 7 a.m. from the borderline area of South Ossetia – Shanghai. Gennady Pliev was exercising when he was attacked. The attack was made by a group of 5 persons”, reported Info-Agency “ARV”.

The President of the Republic of South Ossetia Eduard Kokoity signed the decree on pardoning three Georgian citizens: Levan Khmiadashvili, Victor Buchukuri and Georgy Archvadze detained in summer 2009. As reported by RES Agency correspondent, Levan Khmiadashvili, Victor Buchukuri and Girgy Archvadze were handed over to the relatives. Representatives of South Ossetian, Russian and Georgian sides were present at the hand-over.

President of the Republic of South Ossetia Eduard Kokoity received Zurab Nogaideli, the leader of the Georgian political party "Just Georgia". The meeting focused on the release of South Ossetians detained in Georgia and vise versa. As noted by Eduard Kokoity, "in accordance with the agreements reached with the CoE Human Rights Commissioner Tomas Hammarberg, the South Ossetian side is ready to release one more Georgian citizens as a sign of good will."

President of the Republic of South Ossetia Eduard Kokoity received Zurab Nogaideli, the leader of the Georgian political party "Just Georgia". The meeting focused on the release of South Ossetians detained in Georgia and vise versa. As noted by Eduard Kokoity, "in accordance with the agreements reached with the CoE Human Rights Commissioner Tomas Hammarberg, the South Ossetian side is ready to release one more Georgian citizens as a sign of good will."

The authorities of the Republic of South Ossetia provided the representatives of human rights organizations of Georgia with the possibility to visit the Georgian citizens detained in South Ossieta. Three human rights activists Paata Zakareishvili, Manana Mebuke and Vakhtang Komakhidze, representing different organizations, visited Levan Khmiadashvili (1992) and Victor Buchukuri (1993), who had been detained together with two other teenagers (Georgy Romelashvili, 1995, and Aleko Tsabadze, 1996) on 4 November 2009 on the territory of South Ossetia.

South Ossetia finds no sense in the dialogue with the current criminal regime of Georgia, stated the RSO President Eduard Kokoity at the meeting with Georgian human rights activists visiting Tskhinval on 16 December. The Georgian civil society organizations were representative by Paata Zakareishvili, Manana Mebuke and Vakhtang Komakhidze. Emphasizing that the meeting was held upon the initiatives of the authorities of RSO, Eduard Kokoity stated "by inviting Georgian human rights activists in order to facilitate the settlement of problems of our people; we did not find any understanding or will among the Georgian authorities to take care about the fates of their citizens, Georgians detained on the territory of a recognized state – South Ossetia". "The were convicted in accordance with our laws, by our justice institutions and it is not correct that we keep in detention underage persons. We released the underage convicts right after the trial. We speak about persons who had committed crimes on the territory of the Republic of South Ossetia", said the President. He emphasized that he could use his constitutional right to pardon the convinced Georgian citizens, "but not under the pressure of the so-called Georgian leadership".

Representatives of human rights organizations of Georgia Paata Zakareishvili, Manana Mebuke, and Vakhtang Komakhidze arrived in South Ossetia. In Tskhinval, they met with the South Ossetian Human Rights Commissioner David Sanakoev and representatives of non-governmental organizations. Presently, they are meeting with the RSO President Eduard Kokoity.