Georgian MIA: Five Ossetians Released After Brief Detention

Five Ossetian civilians were released 20 minutes after being captured by relatives of four Georgian men who went missing in the conflict zone early this June, the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) reported on August 24.

According to the Georgian Interior Ministry, the five Ossetians were detained in the Georgian village of Kurta, north of the breakaway South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali at approximately 7 pm local time.

?The Ossetian civilians were released shortly after the Georgian Interior Ministry?s reaction and demand that they be freed,? said Georgian Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili.

?The incident is now over,? the ministry?s statement reads, though it did not have any remarks about the arrest of those who were responsible for capturing the Ossetian civilians.

The South Ossetian side has not yet commented on the incident.

Reports say that the Joint Peacekeeping Forces, involving Georgian, Russian and Ossetian sides, have blocked the major road in the conflict zone because of security concerns.

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian)