Russia-backed Tskinvali (South Ossetian) occupation regime continues to illegally detain a medical doctor in the Tskhinvali region. Famous Georgian trauma doctor, Mr. Vazha Gaprindashvili, was abducted while visiting a patient in the Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region of Georgia and has been illegally detained by de-facto occupation forces since November 9th. The doctor was sentenced to an illegal two-month, pretrial detention on November 15th “for deliberately crossing the border.”
Between 9 and 11 November, the occupation forces also detained three more Georgian citizens — Ramaz Zadishvili, David Mishelashvili and Zurab Tukhashvili for “illegally crossing the border,” who were released a few days later.
The US mission to OSCE, Amnesty International, a number of officials and organizations, including the United States Embassy to Georgia, have expressed their support to Doctor Gaprindashvili and demanded his immediate release. The US mission to OSCE also called for the “immediate end” to closures of the crossing points between Georgia and its Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region, which has been closed by the de facto government of Tskhinvali, starting September 4, 2019, creating a severe humanitarian situation on the ground.
While doctors around the country keep rallying for an immediate release of doctor Gaprindashvili, his family has submitted a letter to the UN Secretary General urging the UN to use all measures to secure the release of the abducted doctor and ‘urgently send’ a UN special commissioner working on such issues to Georgia to help resolve the case.
Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani has raised the issue with High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, acting chair of OSCE Miroslav Lajcak, Deputy Secretary General of UN Rosemary DiCarlo and Deputy Secretary General of NATO Mircea Geoana, and others.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has stated that government agencies are working in a 24-hour regime to achieve the release of doctor Gaprindashvili.
The occupying forces in the two Russia-controlled Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali have detained 327 Georgian citizens for “illegally crossing the border” between 2017–2019 per the Georgian State Security Service information.
