Georgian citizens Lasha Khetereli and Ucha Jokhadze, who were illegally detained by Russian occupation forces, have been released. Khetereli had been imprisoned in Tskhinvali for over a year, while Jokhadze was arrested three days ago.
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"Lasha Khetereli, who was illegally detained by Russian occupation forces on July 3, 2023, near the village of Gugutiantkari in the Gori municipality, and Ucha Jokhadze, who was illegally detained near the village of Tsitelubani in the Gori municipality on September 10 of this year, have been freed and are now in territory controlled by the central government," stated the press release issued by the State Security Service of Georgia.
According to the agency, both the "hotline" mechanism operated by the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) in Georgia and all relevant tools at the disposal of the central government were actively used in the process of releasing the Georgian citizens from illegal detention.
"The central government, together with international partners, will continue to work actively to secure the release of all Georgian citizens who are illegally detained in the occupied territories," the State Security Service said.
The de facto authorities of the occupied Tskhinvali region also released information about Ucha Jokhadze. According to the so-called State Security Committee, it was determined that Jokhadze, a Gori resident born in 1981, blocked a road and accidentally crossed the so-called "state border" of the Republic of South Ossetia with Georgia in the vicinity of the village of Amdzarini (Tsinagari) in the Leningori (Akhalgori) district. On September 13, the so-called Tskhinvali court fined Jokhadze and subjected him to "administrative expulsion."
Information regarding the possible release of Lasha Khetereli emerged on September 12, following the conclusion of the 121st meeting of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) in the village of Ergneti.
As of today, eight Georgian citizens remain in illegal detention in Tskhinvali.
