04 January 2022, 11:06
Protesters in Gori demand to release Mamuka Chkhikvadze
Georgian authorities must report about the steps undertaken to release Mamuka Chkhikvadze, who was detained on the South-Ossetian border in December, the protesters have claimed.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on December 12, 2021, near the village of Zemo Nikozi on South-Ossetian border, Mamuka Chkhikvadze, a citizen of Georgia, was detained. On December 19, it became known that he had been placed in custody for two months. According to South-Ossetian authorities, Chkhikvadze had deliberately violated the border.
In the evening on January 3, an action was held in the central square of the city of Gori, the participants of which demanded the release of Mamuka Chkhikvadze, the "Georgia-online" writes.
Chkhikvadze's friends and acquaintances took part in the action and stated that they had no information about Chkhikvadze; they demanded from Georgian authorities to more actively seek his release. Giorgi Zhamureli, a Chkhikvadze's friend, said that the protesters' main demand to the authorities was to inform about the efficient steps undertaken towards his release.
After the end of the action held in the central square, the protesters moved to the Department of the State Security Service (SSS) in Shida Kartli, after which they dispersed, the "report.ge" informs.
Restrictions on crossing the Georgia's borders with Abkhazia and South Ossetia violate the rights of residents of border villages; they cannot manage their households and risk being detained for crossing the border, says the report released by the human rights organization "Amnesty International" (AI) on "borderization" in Georgia.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 4, 2022 at 03:06 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: The Caucasian Knot