Publication N31 / Review Period: May 1 - 31, 2024 / Author: Arsen Araqelov

Monitoring of the Situation at the Occupation Line is being prepared within the framework of the project - Roadmap to Kremlin's Policy in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali Region. The purpose of the publication is to review the situation and ongoing important developments near the occupation line in the Tskhinvali region. The publication will be useful for everyone – decision-makers, public employees, representatives of media and international governmental or non-governmental organizations,  and other people who are interested in the mentioned topic.

IPRM 119th Meeting

On May 16, the 119th meeting of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM), co-chaired by a newly appointed Head of the European Union Monitoring Mission, Bettina Patricia Bugani, and the Acting Chairman of the OSCE, Special Representative for the South Caucasus, Ambassador Viorel Mosanu, was held in the village of Ergneti, Gori municipality. This was the third meeting this year.

Detained and Released Citizens

In May, the occupation forces arrested one citizen of Georgia.

On May 8, the occupation forces illegally detained Ivane Gerkeuli on the occupied territory near the village of Akhalubani. According to the State Security Service of Georgia, Gerkeuli was released from illegal detention on May 14.

On May 8, Tristan Mushkiashvili and Valeri Tetruashvili, who were illegally detained near the village of Dirbi, were released. The occupation forces illegally arrested Mushkiashvili and Tetruashvili on April 22, 2024. It should be noted that another person detained together with them remains in illegal detention. According to the so-called Security Committee of the Tskhinvali region, due to the fact that both of them had health problems, it was decided to hand the detainees over to the Georgian law enforcement officers without financial sanctions.

In total, the occupation forces arrested one and released three persons in May.

As of April 30, a total of eight citizens of Georgia remained in illegal detention. Of them, the identities of Soso Dvalishvili, Lasha Khetereli, Nika Mamastarashvili and Ivane Lutidze are only known.

Soso Dvalishvili - the occupation forces detained him at a Perevi (Sachkhere municipality) section of the occupation line on January 16, 2023.

Lasha Khetereli - the occupation forces arrested him for the seventh time in July 2023. He periodically moves to the occupied territory to visit family members living there.

Nika Mamastarashvili and Ivane Lutidze – the occupation forces detained them near the occupation line in the vicinity of the village of Knolevi (Kareli municipality) on February 14, 2024.

See the interactive map of illegal detentions prepared by the Rondeli Foundation here.

Movement on the Occupation Line

By a decree of the de facto president of the Tskhinvali region, Alan Gagloyev, the so-called border checkpoints were temporarily opened on Easter holidays, which allowed the population living in the occupied region to move across the occupation line. Starting from 2022, BCPs are open for the population living in the Akhalgori and Java regions during the last ten days every month.

Important Visits

On May 15, the European Union Monitoring Mission, while patrolling on a section of the occupation line in the village of Odzisi, hosted a delegation led by the Acting Chairman of the OSCE, Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Trade of Malta, Dr. Ian Borg.

During the patrol, the observers of the EU Monitoring Mission informed the OSCE delegation on the latest security and humanitarian developments.