Today in South Ossetia Christmas is being celebrated, as well as throughout the Orthodox world. On the night of January 7 in Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Tskhinval, the night Christmas liturgy was chanted by the opposing Greek Old Calendar Church representative, the Bishop Ambrose Mefonsky.
Recently voices for OSCE admission to South Ossetia have once again been heard from Tbilisi. This organization was working in our country during 15 years. The period from 1993 to 2008 was quite enough to understand its essence. What the OSCE means for South Ossetia knows everyone: false provocative and actually inciting to attacking us, slanderous fabrications under the pretext of «objective reports on a situation in a conflict zone».
Genocide: as it was. 21 year later
Christmas of 1991 added a bloody page in the history of Ossetia.
January, 6, 1991 – is the beginning of the overt armed aggression of Georgia against the people of South Ossetia. On the night of January, 6 internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR, which had had to support stability, without notice of the Republican leadership deserted their posts and went to the barracks. At 4 o'clock in the morning 3-thousand group of the Georgian militia among which there were the Georgian gunmen, criminals and addicts, amnestied the day before and disguised as militiamen, entered the town. They had considerable quantity of military equipment and dogs. Georgian "militia" occupied the central part of the town, blocked all roads and crossroads. Tortures, arrests, violence, murders, arsons began. In the afternoon of January, 6 the Georgian "militiamen" opened fire on the unarmed people. One man was killed, several were wounded. Their first victim became Kochiev Grisha Fedorovich, 32 years old, an inhabitant of Tskhinval, who under fire had covered his children with his body. The same night four persons were also wounded.
South Ossetian State Theatre named after Costa Khetagurov has prepared a New Year theater program for residents of the Republic. As reported to IA "Res" by the art director of the Theater Soslan Bibilov, the holiday show for the South Ossetian spectators began January 3, 2012 and will continue until the Old New Year.
Acting President of South Ossetia has addressed to people of the Republic with the New Year congratulation. First of all, V. Brovtsev has reminded that, in view of the prevailing socio-political situation, December 11, 2011, he was charged with the duty of the head of the state, and he intends to carry out his powers strictly within the legal boundaries, in accordance with the Constitution of South Ossetia.
Employees of the Tskhinval office of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has wished the residents of the nursing home "Care" in Tskhinval happy New Year and presented them with gifts. The elderly, infirm and lonely people, living in the "Care", which is located uptown, have found themselves there by the will of fate. But they were very happy to meet the unexpected guests and with trembling hands took the gifts from the ICRC delegates, thanking them for their help and attention.
Exchange of citizens of South Ossetia, kept in prisons of Georgia, and the Georgian citizens, kept in prisons of South Ossetia, has taken place today at the state border of the Republic of South Ossetia and Georgia. South Ossetian side has transferred 12 people, as many as the Georgian side. 10 of them are citizens of South Ossetia and Russia, and three of them - have only the Russian citizenship- they are the border facility builders, who accidentally found themselves in the Georgian territory and were detained there.
Today the Central Election Committee of South Ossetia has accepted the first set of documents on nominating the candidate for Presidency of South Ossetia. It has been reported to IA "RES" by the Chairman of the CEC of South Ossetia Bella Plieva. She has noted that the documents were submitted by the initiative group of citizens, requesting the nomination of Igor Alborov as the candidate for president of South Ossetia in the presidential elections on March 25, 2011.
The Central Election Committee (CEC) of South Ossetia has begun preparations for the presidential elections scheduled for March 25, 2012. As reported to IA "Res" by the RSO CEC Chairman Bella Plieva, the first meeting of the Committee has been held today with its previous composition.
An act of charity, "Reach out a helping hand" on collecting money for the citizens of the Republic who are kept in the Georgian prisons for the trumped-up charges, is coming to the end in South Ossetia. As reported to IA "Res" by Head of Youth Policy Department under the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth Policy of the RSO Emilia Gagieva, the action started in October, 2011 on the initiative of her department.
