The President of the Republic of South Ossetia Eduard Kokoity signed the decree on pardoning three Georgian citizens: Levan Khmiadashvili, Victor Buchukuri and Georgy Archvadze detained in summer 2009. As reported by RES Agency correspondent, Levan Khmiadashvili, Victor Buchukuri and Girgy Archvadze were handed over to the relatives. Representatives of South Ossetian, Russian and Georgian sides were present at the hand-over.
The South Ossetian side was represented by Human Right Commissioner David Sanakoev, Vladimir Lukin, the RF Ombudsman, represented the Russian side. Zurab Nogaideli, the leader of the political party "Just Georgia" represented the Georgian side. CoE Human Rights Commissioner Tomas Hammarberg had also participated in the hand-over. The President of South Ossetia pardoned the three Georgian citizens in a sign of good will. Eduard Kokoity stated that at the meeting with the leader of political party "Just Georgia" Zurab Nogaideli. In return, Zurab Nogaideli promised that he would manage to settle the problem with South Ossetians detained in Georgian prisons before the New Year. "I will do my best to settle the problem before the New Year, I will be working on that", said Nogaideli.
On 4 November 2009, the law enforcement bodies of South Ossetia detained four underage Georgian citizens for illegal border-crossing, illegal obtaining and possessing of explosives, as well as for committing a theft. At the trial on 2 December, Georgi Romelashvili and Aleko Tsabadze were sentenced for 1 year probation and released from the courtroom, and Khmiadashvili and Buchukuri got one year of colony.
