11 November 2008, 13:32
South Ossetia releases six citizens of Georgia
Tonight, South Ossetia has released a group of six Georgian citizens detained 11 days ago, the Georgian public television reports.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in late October it became known about kidnapping of six men, residents of Zerti village, Gori District of Georgia. On October 5, four Georgian citizens managed to break away from South-Ossetian captivity. They were kept in custody for 35 days.
The released persons told journalists that today members of South-Ossetian armed formations brought them with eyes seeled to one of the villages, where they were handed over to Russian militaries, who later brought them to the territory under control of the Georgian party, the "Interfax" reports.
The TV Channel remarks that the Georgian party held negotiations on detainees' release with the command of the Russian troops in South Ossetia for 10 days in a row.
The television reports that the South-Ossetian party demanded to release two Ossetians in exchange on six Georgians.
Today, it has also become known that the human rights organization "Soldier's Mothers of St-Petersburg" has reported a violent detention of Russian soldiers in the Leninogorsk District of South Ossetia. The "Echo Moskvy" Radio reports that about 200 Russian recruits and contract soldiers are currently kept there despite expiry of their service term.
Ella Polyakova, co-chair of the human rights organization, has declared in her interview to the Radio: "The Committee's hotline received calls and SMS-messages. Yesterday I talked to these guys." She added that "young people are in fear", they ask for help, but are afraid to give their names. One of their fears is that with approach of winter and snowfalls road can get blocked, and "they will stick there for long".
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