Passengers Stranded in South Ossetian Conflict Zone
Five buses with around two hundred of Georgian citizens coming from Russia via breakaway South Ossetia, remain stranded at the Kekhvi checkpoint of the Georgian police in the conflict zone.
The Georgian police motivates its decision to block the entry of the passengers by saying they have entered Georgia through the Roki Tunnel, which links breakaway South Ossetian with the Russian Federation, and which is out of the Georgian authorities? control.
Officials in Tbilisi try to direct all traffic between Georgia and Russia via Larsi, which is the only land checkpoint at the Russian border controlled by the Georgian authorities.
According to Alexandre Sukhitashvili, Head of the Shida Kartli police, the buses were detained at the order of the Interior Minister Irakli Okruashvili.
Georgian Ombudsman Sozar Subeliani and MP from the ruling National Movement – Democrats party Vasil Maghlaperidze arrived at the scene to meet with the passengers on October 31. Both have condemned the authorities? decision to deny the passengers in entry.
?This is nothing more but full ignorance of the law and violation of the Georgian constitution,? Sozar Subeliani told reporters on October 31, referring to the freedom of movement provisions.
Later on October 31 Mikheil Kareli, the Governor of the Shida Kartli region held a news briefing, saying that the passengers were detained legally, since the checkpoint on the Roki pass does not operate any more and the passengers have arrived bypassing Georgian customs control.
Kareli alleged that the passengers paid money to the South Ossetian ?separatists? to gain entry. ?they [South Ossetia leadership] later [will] buy weapons with this money,? Kareli said.
