Государственное информационное агентство "Рес"

President of the Republic of South Ossetia Eduard Kokoity received Zurab Nogaideli, the leader of the Georgian political party "Just Georgia". The meeting focused on the release of South Ossetians detained in Georgia and vise versa. As noted by Eduard Kokoity, "in accordance with the agreements reached with the CoE Human Rights Commissioner Tomas Hammarberg, the South Ossetian side is ready to release one more Georgian citizens as a sign of good will."

President of the Republic of South Ossetia Eduard Kokoity received Zurab Nogaideli, the leader of the Georgian political party "Just Georgia". The meeting focused on the release of South Ossetians detained in Georgia and vise versa. As noted by Eduard Kokoity, "in accordance with the agreements reached with the CoE Human Rights Commissioner Tomas Hammarberg, the South Ossetian side is ready to release one more Georgian citizens as a sign of good will."

The authorities of the Republic of South Ossetia provided the representatives of human rights organizations of Georgia with the possibility to visit the Georgian citizens detained in South Ossieta. Three human rights activists Paata Zakareishvili, Manana Mebuke and Vakhtang Komakhidze, representing different organizations, visited Levan Khmiadashvili (1992) and Victor Buchukuri (1993), who had been detained together with two other teenagers (Georgy Romelashvili, 1995, and Aleko Tsabadze, 1996) on 4 November 2009 on the territory of South Ossetia.

South Ossetia finds no sense in the dialogue with the current criminal regime of Georgia, stated the RSO President Eduard Kokoity at the meeting with Georgian human rights activists visiting Tskhinval on 16 December. The Georgian civil society organizations were representative by Paata Zakareishvili, Manana Mebuke and Vakhtang Komakhidze. Emphasizing that the meeting was held upon the initiatives of the authorities of RSO, Eduard Kokoity stated "by inviting Georgian human rights activists in order to facilitate the settlement of problems of our people; we did not find any understanding or will among the Georgian authorities to take care about the fates of their citizens, Georgians detained on the territory of a recognized state – South Ossetia". "The were convicted in accordance with our laws, by our justice institutions and it is not correct that we keep in detention underage persons. We released the underage convicts right after the trial. We speak about persons who had committed crimes on the territory of the Republic of South Ossetia", said the President. He emphasized that he could use his constitutional right to pardon the convinced Georgian citizens, "but not under the pressure of the so-called Georgian leadership".

Representatives of human rights organizations of Georgia Paata Zakareishvili, Manana Mebuke, and Vakhtang Komakhidze arrived in South Ossetia. In Tskhinval, they met with the South Ossetian Human Rights Commissioner David Sanakoev and representatives of non-governmental organizations. Presently, they are meeting with the RSO President Eduard Kokoity.

The OSCE Delegation headed by Special Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office Christopulos arrived in South Ossetia. The Delegation included Representative of 2010 OSCE Kazakh Chairmanship Bolat Nurgaliev and his advisor Serik Zhumabaev. In Tskhinval, the Delegation met with the Special Representative for Post-Conflict Settlement Boris Chochiev, Foreign Minister Murat Djioev, Deputy Special Representative for Post-Conflict Settlement Merab Chigoev.

The South Ossetian side is inviting human rights activists and organizations to visit the Georgian citizens detained in the prison in Tskhinval, reported the HR Commissioner of South Ossetia David Sanakoev, commenting on the fact of detention of and trial over Georgian citizens. According to Sanakoev, Georgian authorities are politicizing the detention and trial of Georgian citizens Levan Khmiadashvili and Victor Buchukuri. "Politicizing of this issue is unacceptable. We are inviting Georgian human rights activist to visit the Georgian citizens. Human rights related issues should not be drawn into political dimension. In majority of cases, the Georgian authorities consider them exactly within a political dimension. One of the examples is the above mentioned case", stated Sanakoev. Earlie, the South Ossetian authorities invited the convicts' relatives to visit them in the prison.

A delegation of the OSCE is visiting South Ossetia. This delegation includes the Special Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office Charalampos Christopoulos, Ambassador Boran Nurgaliev, Representative of the succeeding in 2010 Kazakhstan OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Advisor to Ambassador Nurgaliev Serik Zhumabaev and other representatives of the Organization.

South Ossetia provides the possibility for the relatives of the underage Georgian convicts to visit them in the detention facility in Tskhinval. The HR Commissioner of South Ossetia David Sanakoev addressed the Head of Mission of the International Committee of the Red Cross in South Ossetia with a request to help with informing the relatives and facilitate their visit to the minor convicts in South Ossetia. "Since the fate of these persons (Levan Khmiadashvili and Victor Buchukuri) causes great interest among the Georgian authorities, the RSO HR Commissioner is inviting the parents of the convicts to visit them at the detention facility from 9th to 12th December 2009,", read the letter addressed by Sanakoev to the ICRC.

The efforts on releasing the Ossetian hostages, abducted or illegally detained by Georgian law enforcement bodies and currently kept on the territory of Georgia, continue since 2008, told the Deputy Special Representative for Post-Conflict Settlement Merab Chigoev at the Parliament session. According to him, the work is extremely difficult.
"The Georgian side screams about the detention of Georgian citizens while there is an interest among international media to cover this issue.