18:07, 24 February 2020

Teenager detained on border between Georgia and South Ossetia

Border guards detained a 17-year-old Georgian citizen near the border line with South Ossetia, the Georgian State Security Service reported.

The teenager was detained near the village of Kirbali in the Gori District. Together with local residents, he was collecting firewood in the forest near the village, while armed people tried to detain them, the "Rustavi-2" reports.

The teenager's family lives near the demarcation line, the "InterPressNews" reports.

The Georgian State Security Service has activated a hotline. On the same day, the young man was released and handed over to the Georgian side.

Earlier, a teenager's father had already been detained three times for crossing the demarcation line, said David Katsarava, the leader of the social movement "Strength in Unity". According to him, the family lives very poorly, and at the time of detention, the teenager and his father were collecting firewood for sale.

Since 2008, more than 3000 Georgian citizens were detained by Russian border guards and the authorities of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, said David Katsarava, the leader of the public movement "For the De-Occupation of Georgia".

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on February 24, 2020 at 12:02 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Author: Beslan Kmuzov

Source: CK correspondent