According to the State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG), Levan Petriashvili, who was illegally detained by the Russian occupation forces near the Tskhinvali occupation line in the village of Ergneti, Gori municipality, is free and in the territory controlled by the Central Government.
Petriashvili was detained on May 15. According to Radio Tavisupleba, after his arrest, his friend Archil Basanidze was also illegally arrested for crossing the occupation line, and the de-facto court in occupied Tskhinvali region ordered both of them to be remanded in custody on May 29. Basanidze was released on October 25.
To secure Petriashvili’s release from illegal detention, the SSSG actively used the Hotline mechanism, and the central Government regularly raised the issue of his release in the formats of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) and the Geneva International Discussions. In addition, the international partners were informed about the issue on an ongoing basis.
“The central Government, together with international partners, continues to work actively for the release of all Georgian citizens illegally detained in the occupied territories,” – reads SSSG’s statement.
According to the SSSG, the responsibility for all destructive actions carried out in the occupied regions of Georgia and along the occupation line lies with the occupying force.
Source : Civil