Two Georgians kidnaped from conflict zone by Russian soldiers
By Liza Mchedlidze
Thursday, October 15
Russian soldiers kidnaped two Georgian residents from the so-called Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) with Georgia’s one of the occupied regions of Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) on October 13.
The Georgian cattlemen have been kidnaped from the village Tsitelubani, as locals say from the territory controlled by Georgians.
According to the village residents, they have always used the area as pastureland, and it is from here that Kakha Begheluri and Givi Kisievi were snatched by Russian soldiers.
Begheluri phoned his family and informed them that the occupants had transported him to the villageof Tsinagari, within the occupied Tskhinvali region.
Locals have stated that as a rule, the Russians and de-facto representatives accuse the individuals of illegal crossing of the “border” and demand a fine in exchange for their release.
Meanwhile, Georgia’s Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Institute for the Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) has released data reflecting detentions at ABLs with the de-facto Tskhinvali and Abkhazia republics.
The data, based on the statistics provided by Georgia’s Interior Ministry, revealed that in 2009-2015 a total of 2,117 Georgian citizens have been kidnaped and charged with illegally crossing the border at ABLs.
“A total of 1,416 have been detained at the ABL with Abkhazia while 701 at the Tskhinvali Administrative Boundary Line.
“In 2014, from both ABLs, 512 individuals were kidnapped while in the first quarter of 2015, 139 individuals have been detained and charged with crossing the borders,” the IDFI said.
Russia's creeping occupation of Georgian soil and the kidnapping of Georgian citizens from the area currently controlled by the Georgian state administration shows no sign of stopping, Georgian official structures said.
