South Ossetia has handed over to EUMM representatives three Georgian citizens detained 4 September 2009 for illegal border-crossing and unauthorized wood-cutting in Leningor district of South Ossetia. On 13 May, at the trial, the Georgian citizens, residents of Tvaurebi village, Kaspi district of Georgia, Levan Biganashvili, 1986, Aleko Didebashvili, 1985, Merab Tvauri, 1974, were convicted under Art 322, p.2, RF CC (illegal crossing of the state border). With the detention term already served, during which the investigation was ongoing, the Georgian citizens were released from the courtroom.
"This step once again proves that the South Ossetian side is willing to continue further work on the release of detainees and search for missing persons", underlined the Plenipotentiary for Human Rights David Sanakoev.
The Georgian citizens were handed over to the EUMM at the Georgian-Ossetian borderline in the village of Ergneti.
It is worth reminding that South Ossetia had released three Georgian citizens on 2 May 2010. They were handed over to the CoE Commissioner for Human Rights Tomas Hammarberg during his visit to South Ossetia.
