Publication N34 / Review Period: August 1 – September 30, 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 121st Meeting  

On September 12, the 121st Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meeting was held in Ergneti. This year, this was the fifth meeting in a row. After the meeting, a representative of the State Security Service of Georgia (SSS) told journalists that since the last Ergneti meeting which was held in July, a total of eight cases of illegal "borderization" were recorded. The SSS representative also stated that six cases of illegal detention occurred in the same period, and nine more citizens of Georgia remain in illegal detention.

IPRM 121st Meeting

Detained and Released Citizens 

In August-September, representatives of the occupation forces arrested seven citizens of Georgia.

On August 21, the State Security Service of Georgia announced that representatives of the occupation regime arrested a Georgian citizen near Akhalgori. The de facto Security Committee of the Tskhinvali region did not respond to the illegal detention, and other information about the detainee is still unknown.

On August 31, near the village of Tsinagari (Akhalgori municipality) the occupation forces detained a 17-year-old Ani Badzaghua, a Georgian citizen born in 2006. On September 1, the so-called Security Committee announced that due to health problems, Badzaghua was handed over to the Georgian law enforcement officers without imposing financial sanctions.

On September 13, the State Security Service of Georgia announced that the occupation regime released Ucha Jokhadze who was illegally detained on September 10, 2024, near the village of Tsitelubani (Gori municipality). According to the so-called Security Committee of the Tskhinvali region, the occupation forces detained Ucha Jokhadze, born in 1981, living in Gori, in the vicinity of the village of Tsinagari (Akhalgori district), on the territory controlled by the occupation forces. According to the so-called committee, Jokhadze lost his way, and the so-called city court of Tskhinvali sentenced him and imposed administrative fine for violating the “state border.”

Release of Ucha Jokhadze

On September 13, the State Security Service of Georgia announced that on July 3, 2023, Lasha Khetereli who was illegally detained near the village of Disevi, was released. Khetereli spent a year sentence in the Tskhinvali prison.

On September 17, two Georgian citizens were illegally arrested near the village of Mejvriskhevi (Gori municipality).

On September 19, a Georgian citizen was illegally arrested near the village of Artsevi, the occupied Erdevi municipality. Information about the detention was announced by the State Security Service of Georgia, while the de facto State Security Committee did not issue a statement about it.

On September 24, a citizen of Georgia was illegally arrested near the village of Zemo Artsevi (Akhalgori municipality). As reported by the de facto State Security Committee, on this day the occupation forces detained a Georgian citizen, a resident of the village of Sakorintlo (Kaspi district), Vasil Salamashvili, born in 1981. According to the de facto agency, due to health problems, Salamashvili was handed over to Georgian law enforcements on September 25 without imposing a financial sanction.

On September 30, Vladimer Tsabadze, who was illegally detained near the village of Dirbi (Kareli municipality) on April 20, 2024, was released.

Vladimer Tsabadze’s Release

In total, in August-September, the occupation forces arrested seven people, and five people were released from Tskhinvali prison.

As of September 30, in total nine Georgian citizens remain in illegal detention. Of which only the names of Soso Dvalishvili, 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.

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.

“Borderization” and Ongoing Activities Along the Occupation Line

According to September 6 reports of Davit Katsarava, the leader of the anti-occupation movement - Power is in Unity, the occupation forces dug ditches in the Chvinisi-Kodi section of the Kareli municipality. Also, as per the same reports, Russian military personnel appeared at a checkpoint in the vicinity.

August 2024 Summary of the Security Committee

According to the so-called State Security Committee of the occupied Tskhinvali region, in August, a total of 31 people were arrested for violating the state border, including 8 for violating the “state border regime,” and 23 - for violating the “border regime.”