Georgian Detainees Released from Tskhinvali Prison

On Wednesday, Georgian detainees Maia Otinashvili and Akaki Dotiashvili were released from the Tskhinvali prison.  The two were accused of illegally crossing the boundary line of the Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region.  

On September 19, Otinashvili was kidnapped from her garden and on October 2, she was sentenced to two months detention for "crossing the border" and for supposedly soliciting money by helping others cross the border.  Otinashvili and her family reside in the village of Khurvaleti, Gori Municipality.  In this territory, which is controlled by Tbilisi, Otinashvili is the fifth woman that has been detained.  

Akaki Dotiashvili, from the village of Kirbali, Gori Municipality, was detained on October 6. Regarded as one of the most dangerous places in the municipality, one from nearly every family in Kirbali has been held in a Tskhinvali prison at one time or another.  

Both detainees, however, have now been released.  Otinashvili’s sentence was suspended, and she was given a six month probation.  Dotiashvili, on the other hand, paid a fine in order to be released.  

By Shirin Mahdavi