Ossetian NGO to deal with locals' claims against Georgia at ECtHR

The NGO named "Residents of South Ossetia Against Genocide" will consider the claims submitted by residents of South Ossetia to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) after the August war of 2008 against Georgia and rejected by the Court. For almost 18 months this organization deals with similar complaints against Georgia in the Hague Court.

Let us remind you that the ECtHR has removed five claims of South-Ossetian residents against Georgia from consideration on the August events of 2008, explaining that the advocates engaged in these five cases had failed to answer the Court's official inquiries for several months.

The story became full unexpectedness both for South-Ossetian authorities and local residents, many of whom did not even suspect that someone had defended their interests at the Strasbourg Court (ECtHR), the "Echo of the Caucasus" Radio reports and adds that during the last month Tskhinvali tried to decide how to react to all that.

Several days ago it became known that the organization "Residents of South Ossetia Against Genocide" will tackle the problem. This NGO is headed Zhanna Zaseeva, an adviser of President of South Ossetia Eduard Kokoity. Ms Zaseeva said that she had taken the problem with Strasbourg claims also because she had lost her son of 24 during the war and many of her friends and acquaintances; and, according to her version, the official Tbilisi should be made responsible for that.

She said that her organization will coordinate the work of lawyers with claims to Strasbourg, and, if necessary, will help them by inviting other lawyers both from South Ossetia and abroad. Ms Zaseeva said that she had just started studying the situation with claims.