Georgian Hikers Detained by Occupying Forces in Truso Gorge

Five young citizens of Georgia have been detained by military forces in the Truso Gorge. The Georgians were accused of illegally crossing the so-called border into the occupied territory of the Tskhinvali Region.

The Georgian State Security Service has confirmed the detentions and says the EUMM has been informed about the incident and that the hotline has been activated. The State Security Service has yet to specify in which circumstances the Georgian citizens were detained, nor has it disclosed what the occupation regime demands for their release.

According to the current information, the young Georgians were hiking in Truso Gorge, a popular recreational area. There have not been previous reports of people detained in that region – approximately 10 km from the administrative boundary line. Many Georgian tour groups and individual operators offer hiking tours to the Truso Gorge.

The “Security Committee” of so-called “South Ossetia” published information on the detained citizens:

“Five citizens of Georgia: Beka Maghradze (DoB 1988), Ketevan Maghradze (DoB 1989), Mzia Gomouri (DoB 1992), Vakhtang Gubeladze (DoB 1997) and Gia Baghdoshvili (DoB 1996) have been detained in the vicinity of the Keli Lake. All of them live in Tbilisi.”

The “Security Committee” also mentioned another Georgian citizen, Giorgi Kharazishvili (DoB 1951), who lives in the village of Chvrnisi, was detained in the village of Balta, Tighvi district, for so called illegal border crossing.

By Samantha Guthrie

Photo: Caucasus Trekking