Publication N33 / Review Period: July 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 120th Meeting  

On July 23, the 120th Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meeting co-chaired by Viorel Moshanu, the Acting Chairman of the OSCE, Special Representative to the South Caucasus, and Bettina Patricia Bugani, the Head of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia, was held in the village of Ergneti, Gori municipality. It was the fourth meeting in a row this year.

Detained and Released Citizens

In July, the occupation forces arrested two Georgian citizens.

On July 1, near the village of Balta, the occupation forces illegally detained Zurab Lobzhanidze, born in 1993, a Georgian citizen and resident of Tbilisi. According to the so-called Security Committee of the Tskhinvali region, Lobzhanidze intentionally crossed the so-called border. The State Security Service of Georgia released information about the illegal abduction on July 2. On July 3, Lobzhanidze was expelled from the occupied region and handed over to Georgian law enforcement officers.

On July 13, near the village of Adzvi (Gori municipality), the occupation forces detained a Georgian citizen Valiko Khomasuridze, born in 1965. According to the so-called Security Committee of the Tskhinvali region, Khomasuridze intentionally crossed the so-called border. On July 15, the so-called City Court of Tskhinvali imposed a financial fine on Khomasuridze for illegally crossing the so-called border. On July 16, Khomasuridze was handed over to Georgian law enforcement officers.

In July, the occupation forces arrested two persons and released them from the Tskhinvali prison.

As of July 31, a total of nine Georgian citizens remain in illegal detention. Of which only the names of Soso Dvalishvili, Lasha Khetereli, Giorgi Mosiashvili, Nika Mamastarashvili and Ivane Lutidze are 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.

Giorgi Mosiashvili - the occupation forces detained him in the vicinity of the village of Sinaguri (Sachkhere municipality) on October 31, 2023.

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

2024 Biannual Report of the So-Called Security Committee

According to the so-called Security Committee of the Tskhinvali region, for the first half of 2024 the occupation forces detained 148 people for violating the “state border,”of which 80 violated the “state border regime,” and 68 – the “border regime.”

According to the same report, various measures were applied to the 148 violators. As per a decision of the so-called court, 80 people were subject to an administrative fine, four people were expelled from the “republic” with fines, and six were expelled from the “republic” without financial sanctions. In addition, the “court” only issued a verbal notice to 45 persons, criminal cases were initiated against 11 persons, proceedings were terminated on one administratice case, and an investigation is currently underway against one person.