In Georgia, residents of Odzisi block road demanding release of their fellow villagers

On October 16, residents of the village of Odzisi of Dusheti District (Eastern Georgia) held the protest action demanding to release their fellow villagers who were detained on October 11 on suspicion of illegal crossing of the border of South Ossetia.

They blocked the road demanding to release a 52-year-old Paata Djavakhishvili, a 35-year-old Georgy Gurgenashvili and an unidentified person.

The South-Ossetian authorities have not yet commented on the situation.

The "Caucasian Knot" reported that on October 11 three resident of the village of Odzisi had been detained by Russian soldiers. Later, they were transferred to a temporary detention facility of the city of Tskhinvali. It is still unknown whether they were filed charges. The detainees are suspected of illegal crossing of the border. According to the Georgian side, resident of the village of Odzisi were detained near the border, when they went to the forest for firewood.

Earlier, on October 14, relatives of the detainees appealed for assistance to the Red Cross. According to Mamuka Djavakhishvili, a detainee's brother, during all that time the detainees never contacted their families. According to the available information, the detainees are kept at the temporary detention facility of Tskhinvali, the "Georgia online" reports.