Police accuse Katsarava of crossing the occupation line and provoking opposing forces
By Anastasia Sokhadze
Tuesday, July 28
Members of the anti-occupation movement in the village of Takhtisdziri, Kareli Municipality visited the green banner, recently erected by the occupation forces to mark the so-called border, to receive banner coordinates with satellite devices.
The footage released by Davit Katsarava, the leader of the movement, shows the occupation banner and members of the movement standing close to it. The footage covers how the armed military from the occupied territory walks near the banner.
"We were standing by the banner, we did not go there, suddenly we saw the Russians were running and we also retreated. I reckon our kidnapping was planned. By this time, the police had already appeared and the Russians were staying a little above the bushes,” stated Katsarava, although the footage he released did not show the members of the occupation forces running.
It is not clear from the material published on Facebook if Katsarava moved to the occupied territory. The leader of the anti-occupation movement says that there are other videos that show how the Russians are running in their direction.
According to Katsarava, the occupiers move freely on the territory controlled by Georgia, as soon as they see someone at the border.
The verbal confrontation started between Georgian law enforcers and Katsarava when they arrived on the spot. The police accused the members of the anti-occupation movement of provoking the opposing forces and staying in the occupied territories, which Katsarava categorically denied and assessed the accusations of the Georgian law enforcers as cooperation with the occupation forces. The incident ended when the anti-occupation movement left the village near the occupation line.
The occupation forces have recently moved the dividing line 75 meters further in Takhtisdziri.
Takhtisdziri is suffering because of occupation issues. In mid-April, representatives of the occupation forces appeared in the village of Takhtisdziri and turned the lands of local citizens into the occupied territory. Occupation forces set up poles and fences on the ground and fenced off the plots. They worked in the village for several days. Garsevan Stepnadze, one of the residents of Takhisdziri, had already prepared the land for sowing, but his land was occupied by the occupation forces.
Takhtisdziri is bordered from the west by the Ossetian village of Gvirgvina. The occupation forces appeared from there. The plots of land on the ridge between the villages have been cultivated by the citizens for a long time, but since the August 2008 war, their land has been gradually taken away.
“Several people have been abducted from the middle of the Chorchan forest, which did not intersect with the occupation line. Our population is in great danger. In fact, kidnappings can take place from anywhere in the forest,” said Katsarava.
