South Ossetia will continue the efforts to release all its citizens detained in Georgian prisons, stated the Deputy Special Representative for Post-Conflict Settlement Merab Chigoev after the today's hand-over of Georgian citizens detained in South Ossetia and return of the equal number of South Ossetian who were in detention in Georgia.
"I hope that we will find the possibility to release all our citizens still in detention places in Georgia. We have all the grounds to do so", stated Chigoev.
He reported that there were still 28 citizens of South Ossetia detained in Georgia, out of who 24 were detained by Georgian authorities before the August 2008 war, and four were taken after the war.
"The work aimed at release is systematic and it will continue. I hope that in the near months we will be able to see our citizens released", said the Deputy Special Representative.
According to him, currently the work focuses on the release of three South Ossetian and one Russian citizen who was detained in Georgia for crossing of the state border.
"In relation to the others, the work continues to go on. It refers to the resident of Artsev village Marek Dudaev (and three other citizens, who the Georgian authorities charged for the terrorist attack in Gori and sentenced them for life-imprisonment). We consider that these citizens did not commit the crimes they were charged for in Georgia and we will seek for their release", said Chigoev.
He informed that there are four Georgian citizens in detention places in South Ossetia, and two of them were still on trial.
Today, at the borderline between South Ossetia and Georgia, seven Georgian citizens detained in South Ossetia were handed over, and seven citizens of South Ossetia kept in detention in Georgia were handed over in return.
