Public Defender of Georgia Calls Out Russian Occupation for Human Rights Violations
By Liza Mchedlidze
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
In a recent statement, the Public Defender of Georgia highlighted the ongoing issue of illegal detentions by Russian occupation forces, citing the arrest of five Georgian citizens near the villages of Artsevi, Otrevi, and Dirbi in April as evidence of the continuing breaches of human rights.
According to the Public Defender, these actions demonstrate a systematic practice by the occupation regime of arresting individuals for "illegally crossing the border", which severely violates the rights and freedoms of the local population.
The statement also referenced a recent ruling by the European Court of Human Rights on April 9, 2024, which reaffirmed the Russian Federation's responsibility for human rights violations in these territories, specifically noting that such arrests violate Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects the right to freedom and security. This decision aligns with an earlier court ruling from January 21, 2021, which also underscored the Russian Federation's accountability.
"The Public Defender of Georgia echoes the frequent occurrences of illegal detention of Georgian citizens by representatives of the occupation regime. In April of this year, five Georgian citizens living near the villages of Artsevi, Otrevi, and Dirbi were unlawfully arrested.
The mentioned cases clearly illustrate that the occupation regime persists in the illegal practice of arresting individuals for crossing the "border" illegally.
The Public Defender of Georgia emphasized that similar illegal actions carried out by the occupation regime grossly violate the rights and freedoms of the population living in the occupied territories, thereby confirming once again the necessity of allowing international human rights monitoring missions access to these territories.
It should be noted that on April 9, 2024, the European Court of Human Rights made a decision that once again held the Russian Federation responsible for human rights violations in the occupied territories of Georgia.
In particular, according to the court's interpretation, any arrest or imprisonment of ethnic Georgians for crossing the occupation line constitutes a violation of Article 5 of the European Convention, which guarantees the right to freedom and security.
The ruling by the European Court of Human Rights on January 21, 2021, further underscores the responsibility of the Russian Federation," the statement reads.
