Today the International day of the missing people is marked in South Ossetia. The Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the RSO on human rights David Sanakoev has told the correspondent of the news agency "Res" about the work on finding out the fate of the missing citizens of South Ossetia, «For today 150 persons are considered as the missing ones since 1989 - 2008, - Sanakoev has said. -More than 100 citizens disappeared in the territory of South Ossetia. The others –are the ethnic Ossetians who lived in the territory of Georgia and disappeared there». Sanakoev has noticed that since 2008 seven more persons have been registered as the missing ones. «The question on finding out the whereabouts of the missing citizens of South Ossetia has been raised at the international meetings where the Georgian party, the human rights international organizations have participated. Besides this problem has been discussed on the platforms of various non-governmental organizations», - the Plenipotentiary has told. He has also informed that at present the decision of the missing people’s problem is made in three formats where the Republic of South Ossetia, Georgia and the Russian Federationtake part. «By means of the International Committee of the Red Cross we hold meetings where we co-ordinate lists of the missing citizens, and exchange the information about these people», - he has added.Sanakoev has reminded that in 2010 at insistence of the South-Ossetian side the international independent expert commission was established; it was involved in investigating the cases of the missing people by Thomas Hammerberg. «The group of independent experts has observed the process of investigating the fate of the missing persons-those ones whom we had a certain information about - the video records, testimony. The commission of experts has confirmed that last time four of them were seen in the law enforcement structures of Georgia. Therefore at each possible platforms we appeal to organizations interested in human rights to achieve assistance of the authorities of Georgia in investigating these cases», - Sanakoev has noted. It should be reminded that in 2006 the International Convention for protection all persons against violent disappearance was adopted at the 61st session of the United Nations General Assembly. The Convention forbids existence of confidential prisons and obliges to inform the families on destiny of their detained relatives. It is underlined in the Convention that under certain circumstances violent disappearance can be recognized as a crime against humanity. In this case they fall within the international criminal jurisdiction.
