Criminal proceedings upon the missing people of South Ossetia have started in Georgia.
As reported to media by Deputy Presidential Envoy for post-conflict settlement Khokh Gagloyty after the meeting, held today within the framework of Mechanisms on Prevention and Reaction to Incidents (MPRI) in the Georgian village of Ergneti at the border of South Ossetia, "we reiterated at the meetings if Georgia had brought criminal proceedings upon the missing citizens of South Ossetia, considering that there were enough material to start the investigation. Today, the Georgian party finally informed us that a criminal case is in the process of legal procedure", - said Gagloyty.
According to him, at the MPRI meeting was also noted the positive dynamics on the topic of the South Ossetian citizens kept in the Georgian prisons.
In the run-up to the MPRI meeting the South Ossetian party stated that it would raise the issue of the missing persons and imprisoned citizens of South Ossetia kept in the Georgian jails.
It was emphasized that the prisoners were not allowed to receive medicines and food from their relatives. However, the Georgian party has promised to settle this issue by the end of the year.
"The Georgian participants of the today's meeting promised to facilitate the prison conditions of our citizens; in particular, they will be able to get personal belongings, food from their relatives in time. It will also be elaborated the issue of transferring the funds to the prisoners for purchasing medicines "- said Gagloyty.
Khokh Gagloity has underlined that the citizens of South Ossetia, kept in the Georgian prisons are virtually the "hostages."
"Today there are about 23 our citizens in prisons of Georgia, who can hardly be called the prisoners. It's time to face the reality. We all remember how they were abducted at the border areas of our Republic by special units of Georgia created under the regime of President Saakashvili - said Khokh Gagloyty. - The charges against them were "too thin", there is no any evidence. "
Deputy Envoy expressed hope that the new leadership of Georgia would return to this issue with a new approach.
"We also regard facilitation of conditions of our citizens in prisons of Georgia as a result of changing of its leadership - said Gagloyty. - We do not leave without attention the pre-election speech of Bidzina Ivanishvili, when he promised to provide relevant information about the missing people during the war in August 2008. We look forward to the public objective details that would help us to clarify their fate. "
Gagloity has noted that at the meeting was also discussed the tragic incident that had occurred in the Znaur district of South Ossetia.
"Farmers, cultivating the land, accidentally touched the cassette missile, the detonating device went off, resulting in the death of one man," - said the Deputy Ambassador.
He has stated that this fact is "another confirmation that in August 2008 Georgia employed the weapons of mass destruction prohibited by the relevant international conventions."
"We have submitted these materials to representatives of the OSCE mission for consideration by the relevant secretariat" - specified Gagloyty.
Today, at the beginning of the MPRI meeting the South Ossetian party has transferred to Georgia two of its citizens - Bichiko and Makvala Tsotniaschvili,- who were arrested two days ago in the village of Artsev, Tskhinval district of South Ossetia for illegal crossing of the state border.
