Tskhinvali frees two Georgian citizens

The de facto South Ossetian authorities have freed 2 of the 4 Georgian citizens detained last Sunday in the Znauri region, head of the Shida Kartli Police Department Vladimir Jugheli reported on Tuesday. He said that the former detainees had been first taken to the Police Department in Gori for questioning and later sent home. Both are residents of the Kareli region, according to Jugheli.

The de facto South Ossetian law enforcers reported the detention of 6 citizens of Georgia on July 18. According to Osinform all of them were charged with “illegal border crossing.” Later de facto Tskhinvali officials released two of the detainees, 31-year old Iamze Labadze and 43-year-old Nargiza Khomasuridze, and a 3-year-old child. The de facto officials said that they are currently staying with relatives in the Tskhinvali region under an “agreement on not leaving the territory.” However 34-year-old Alik Samkharadze, 28-year-old Besik Samkharadze, 27-year-old Nikoloz Kalatozishvili and 34-year-old Ramaz Labadze are in jail. An investigation is underway, the Press Service of the de facto South Ossetian Border Department has reported. “After finding out about the details of the wrongdoing, the case will be sent to court,” its statement reads.

The detainees are presumably residents of the Tskhinvali region who were trying to cross into territory controlled by Georgia, the head of the Shida Kartli Police Department has said.