On 6 April 2008 the Georgian side removed a total blockade of the Ossetian villages of Leningor, Znaur and Tskhinval districts of the Republic of South Ossetia. The Georgian government took this decision in the consequence of international community’s pressure, first of all OSCE and the International Community of Red Cross. JCC South Ossetian part co-chairman Boris Chochiev has actively interacted all these days with the Head of OSCE Mission to Georgia Terhi Hakkala and her deputy Veselin Nikolaev as well as the Head of ICRC delegation to Georgia Dominic Liengme and the other representatives of international political and humanitarian organizations, who has condemned barbarian, middle-aged methods of military and police blockades of the peaceful villages.
The blockade lasted from 24 March 2008. The Georgian policemen impeded entrance of peaceful Ossetian inhabitants to the blocked villages and prohibited to depart from the villages. Foodstuffs, medicines and living essentials were not allowed to carry. Even First Aid vehicles with the Red Cross emblem could not get to the blocked villages, what caused a death of more than 10 people, although South-Ossetian doctors could rescue them, if they were allowed to pass.
Here are the names of the blockade victims: Gigolaeva Araksia S. born in 1943, v. Mugut, Bestaev Zelim S. born in 1932, v. Mugut, Temisova Valentina V. born in 1929, v. Didmukha, Bolataev Oleg F. born in 1954, v. Didmukha, Khugaeva Varvara K. born in 1925, v. Mugut, Chibirov Stanislav G. born in 1958 v. Didmukha (RSO Znaur district), Vazagov Sograt N. born in 1943 v. Dzukatykau (RSO Leningor district).
As it is known blockading in the zone of conflict is illegal in accordance with the 1992 Sochi agreement, 1996 Moscow memorandum and the other signed earlier agreements on Georgian-Ossetian conflict settlement.
