Three Georgians Nabbed in Gali for ‘Assisting Illegal Border Crossing’

The de facto state security service of Russian-occupied Abkhazia arrested three Georgian citizens in Gali district for allegedly assisting others in “illegal border crossing.”

Two of the detainees have been identified by Sokhumi as Remiko Chitanava (b. 1964) and Murtaz Chitanava (b. 1967). The third arrested Georgian is reportedly Archil Sakania. All three, residents of the village of Otobaia in the occupied Gali district, were sent to two months’ pre-trial detention on charges of “organizing illegal migration,” Georgian State Security Service (SSSG) reported on August 21, citing the de facto Sokhumi authorities.

According to Apsnypress, a local media agency, during the search of the houses of two detainees, Remiko and Murtaz Chitanava, de facto security forces found “an F1 grenade, an RGD 5 hand grenade, TNT weighing 1,600 g, plastid – 45 g, TNT checker, cartridges of various caliber, as well as a stack of dollar bills.”

Apsnypress report also cited the de facto security services complaining about the increase in the number of attempts by members of Georgian and Turkish “criminal structures” to “infiltrate” Abkhazia. Two Russian citizens, Dmitry Denisov and Alexander Luzenin, were also arrested for trying to “cross the border between Abkhazia and Georgia,” the report said. Sokhumi claims the individual who helped them is Archil Sakania (b.1979), a person identified by Georgian media sources as the third Georgian detainee.

The State Security Service of Georgia has decried the “illegal” arrest of Georgian citizens, saying that such detentions “complicate the daily life of the local population and severely damage the security environment.” The agency said it had informed the co-chairs of the Geneva International Discussions and the international partners.

“All existing mechanisms have been activated, and work is actively underway to secure the immediate release of these individuals,” the SSSG said in its August 21 statement.

The agency put the responsibility on the “occupying force” for “all destructive actions” in and along the occupied territories.

Also Read:

• 05/05/2023 – Georgian Citizen Charged with Spying in Abkhazia Sentenced to 10.5 Years in Prison
• 08/11/2022 – SSSG: Georgian Citizen Detained in Occupied Abkhazia
• 05/11/2022 – Georgian Citizen Detained in Occupied Abkhazia

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