Update On De Facto Border Detentions
As reported before, people living near the de facto border are frequently being detained by the Russian border force around the breakaway region, however new figures put out by Tskhinvali’s KGB sheds an interesting light on the situation.
Covering only the months April and May, which there were 45 and 35 persons punished trying to leave the territory; this is clearly more than the number of people detained for entering. Within the same two months, 11 Georgians were detained for illegal border crossing in April and only 7 in May; this is according to Georgia’s State Security Service (SUS).
That’s more Ossetians detained for trying to leave South Ossetia, in only 2 months, than the number of Georgians detained for crossing into the breakaway region in the last six months.
The reasons for Russian border forces detaining people crossing, was also clearly different for those who entered and those who left. People detained for entering were typically local Georgians who inadvertently wandered across a green border not clearly marked while tending to cattle, sometimes even while standing on their own property. Those detained in the other direction were mostly Ossetians on their way into Georgia, either to do petty trade or to smuggle goods or even seek medical treatment, which is free of charge for all residents of the South Ossetia region.
Among the 57 Georgians that we know of, detained during the last six months for entering the breakaway region, were two Georgian border guards, one 94 year old man, a 16 year old boy and a priest. According to SSS, six Georgian nationals were detained in January, six in February, five in March, 11 in April, seven in May, and 22 in June.
When detained by Russian border forces, detainees are brought to a prison in Tskhinvali, and forced to sign a document acknowledging that they have ‘violated South Ossetia border’. Then they are released if and after paying a fine of about USD 32.
But according to the newly released figures from Tskhinvali’s KGB, those detained for trying to leave the territory were either given a fine, while others received simply a warning.
By Shawn Wayne