Two Georgian Citizens Illegally Detained by Tskhinvali Occupation Regime Released

Two Georgian citizens Sergo Gugutishvili and Tamaz Kakhabrishvili, who were illegally detained by the Russian occupying forces, have been released.

Both individuals are currently in the the central government-controlled territory. They had been arrested by the Tskhinvali occupation regime in the occupied territory near the village of Koshka, Gori Municipality and sentenced to six months’ imprisonment in the correctional facility for the so-called illegal crossing of the “border” on January 2, 2023.

On July 28, their sentence expired and they were handed over to the central government of Georgia.

According to State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG), the SSSG has been in constant communication through the hotline about the detained persons. The Service states that the issue of their illegal detention and release was repeatedly raised with the EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM) and the co-chairs of the Geneva International Discussions 9GID), as well as at the meetings held in the format of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM).

In a press release the SSSG states that the responsibility for all destructive actions carried out in the occupied regions of Georgia and along the occupation line lies with the occupying power. “The central government, together with international partners, continues to work actively for the release of all persons illegally detained in the vicinity of the occupied Tskhinvali region and occupied Abkhazia,” the press release reads.

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