"The Report issues by Human Rights Watch under the title "Up in Flames. Humanitarian Law Violations and Civilian Victims in the Conflict over South Ossetia" has a selective approach towards the actions by the sides and this causes concerns", said the HR Plenipotentiary to SO president David Sanakoev. "The report says practically nothing about the damage caused to South Ossetia as a result of Georgian aggression. The opinion of the West, as seen from the Report, did not reflect any new findings in comparison with the way the western experts were reacting to the events in South Ossetia. We had been repeatedly giving explanations on many issues to international agencies. This nonetheless has not been mentioned in the Report", he underscored.
"The Report clearly speak for selective approach towards the actions of the sides. It is obvious that the preferences of human rights defenders stay with Georgia. The crimes committed by the Georgian side are mentioned in passing. Instead of identifying violations of universal human rights in South Ossetia by the Georgian side and by international community, they intend to find guilt with Russian and decrease the responsibly of the Georgian side for unleashing aggression against the South Ossetian population and Russian peacekeepers in August 2008.
Here comes a reasonable question, weather or not the unleashed war is the main crime? The August aggression is the peak of the war which to various extent was ongoing in South Ossetia since 1989, when the leaders of the Georgian state put forward their stand of "Georgia for Georgians". The President of Georgia did everything to lead the situation we all observed in August. And this obvious fact is left outside the reports," said D.Sanakoev.
According to him, "before August 2008, while communicating with international institutions, we have warned that the extreme militarization of Georgia might lead to consequences which we face today. They did not hear us, and despite all contradictions, South Ossetia is ready to continue cooperation with international organizations which are interested in true information about the human rights situation in South Ossetia rather from related structures having more precise information at their disposal than to get second-hand information."
