SJC: Government’s efforts to ensure security near the occupation line are weak

07/11/2023 - 17:19

Barbed wires near Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia. Fall 2018. Photo: Eana Korbezashvili / Civil.ge

A local human rights watchdog, the Social Justice Center issued a statement on the incident that occurred in the village of Kirbali near the Tskhinvali occupation line, when Russian occupation forces killed a Georgian citizen and abducted another.

According to the SJC, the practice of illegal arrests and abductions is a serious consequence of the occupation, which places the population living near the dividing line in constant fear and danger. The SJC notes that international human rights law holds the Russian Federation responsible for human rights violations under conditions of prolonged occupation.

The SJC stresses that “the Georgian government’s efforts to ensure security and prevent risks in the villages near the occupation line are weak.” The statement reads: “To date, the villages along the dividing line do not have an early warning system that would allow law enforcement agencies to identify threats in time and take preventive measures. Police work in the mentioned villages is also insufficient. According to the 2022 quantitative survey conducted with the support of the United Nations Women’s Organization, 63% of the villages on the dividing line in the vicinity of Tskhinvali do not have a police station, and 39% of the same villages are not patrolled by the police”.

The SCJ calls the Government of Georgia:

To launch an investigation into the murder of Tamaz Ginturi and ensure that those responsible are identified and punished;
To increase efforts to secure the timely release of detained Levan Dotiashvili;
To immediately implement an early warning system in villages near the occupation line and significantly strengthen policing in these villages to protect the lives, safety and dignity of Georgian citizens;
To enhance the political and diplomatic work at the international level in order to recognize the facts of the Russian occupation of Georgia and the resulting massive violations of rights, and to increase the international political pressure on Russia. Unfortunately, the political efforts in this direction seem to be reduced and weakened;
To use international legal mechanisms to challenge the most serious violations since the August war and to protect the interests of the victims.

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