The CoE Commissioner for Human Rights Tomas Hammarberg and tow independent experts are arriving in South Ossetia, reported South Ossetian Ombudsman David Sanakoev. They will meet with the South Ossetian HR Commissioner and the relatives of the South Ossetian citizens captured by Georgian authorities, and with the relatives of those who went missing. “During the meetings, the CoE will try to obtain the information about the circumstances in which the persons were captured, as well as details of their whereabouts after the disappearance available with their relatives”, said Sanakoev. “European human rights defenders intend to investigate the circumstances of abduction of South Ossetian citizens by Georgian law enforcers during after the August 2008 hostilities”, underlined the Ombudsman.
As it was earlier reporte, during the Georgian-Ossetian conflict (1989 – 2008) tens of South Ossetians were detained on the territory of Georgia, as well as captured and forcefully taken to the territory of Georgia from temporary Georgia-occupied part of South Ossetia. Resulting from unfair trials coupled with severe beatings and abduction of witnesses and even lawyers, majority of detainees were sentenced to long imprisonment term. Seven citizens of South Ossetia, including one underage person, are considered by Georgian authorities missing, despite the fact that the South Ossetian side has video materials with beating of the abducted persons by representatives of Georgia law enforcement bodies.
