Ombudsman calls on Gov’t “intensify pressure” on Russia on 15th anniversary of war

Levan Ioseliani, the Public Defender of Georgia, on Monday responded to the 15th anniversary of the Russia-Georgia 2008 war and called on the country’s authorities to “intensify pressure” on Russia and increase the engagement of the international community to ensure the rights of the people living in the country’s Russian-controlled Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) regions. 

In his message, Ioseliani highlighted the violation of “fundamental” human rights of the conflict-affected population and those living near the occupation regions, and illegal actions by Russian-controlled de facto authorities since the armed conflict. 

He noted 56 km of barbed wire fences and other artificial barriers had been installed by the Russian-controlled occupation forces along the occupation lines for the occupied Tskhinvali region and over 49 km of the obstacles had been erected along Abkhazia since 2008.

Ioseliani said the individuals convicted in absentia for the murder of Georgian citizens in the occupied regions remained “unpunished, while 3,439 Georgian citizens had been illegally detained for “crossing the border” by Russian-controlled occupation forces since 2008. 

He said the war had left 27,582 internally displaced, claimed the lives of 14 police officers, 224 civilians and left 2,232 injured.