Human rights activist Chochieva: beating of Caucasus NGO Forum leader in South Ossetia not investigated

Anna Chochieva, deputy chair of the public human rights movement "Law above Power," editor of the independent magazine "Amaga", accuses the South Ossetia authorities of failure to investigate the beating in Tskhinval of her husband Alan Parastaev, coordinator of the Caucasus NGO Forum representing South Ossetia.

In her letter which has been handed to the "Caucasian Knot," Anna Chochieva notes that 14 months have passed since the moment Parastaev returned home after treatment in the Yerevan hospital. However, the investigation of the beating of the NGO representative has not moved from the dead stop, even despite the fact that the South Ossetia leader publicly promised to keep an eye on the case of Alan's beating.

"Despite the fact that the President has publicly promised to monitor the case, no one has been detained so far or punished," writes Chochieva. "Moreover, these people continue to serve in the law enforcement bodies. The court trial is suspended for unknown reasons, although there are no unknown quantities in this equation."

"Moreover, prejudiced statements with regard to the public activity of my family, pronounced by top officials of the country have become more frequent of late," asserts Anna Chochieva. According to her, some time ago B. E. Chochiev, deputy-premier of South Ossetia, speaking overt TV accused her father, Alan Chochiev, of having conducted monitoring in South Ossetia which demonstrated that 80 percent of the population is in favour of reunification with Georgia. "The matter is not in the fact that such a statement is far from reality, the problem is in its aim. Unfortunately, my father's health does not allow him to apply to court. Considering all this, I can not say that my family is safe," writes the deputy chair of the public human rights movement "Law above Power."

Also, according to Chochieva, on March 1, during the South Ossetia parliament sitting, Boris Chochoev officially claimed that the address on the topic of peace-makers adopted at the public meeting at the "Civil Society" club (director А. Dyussoev, deputy director А. Parastaev – CK comment) had been written by "crazy people or by spies." The meeting was attended by about 30 people who represented non-government organizations, MFA and the Committee on Information and Press of South Ossetia.

For reference, on December 30, 2004, about 23.00, Alan Parastaev, coordinator of the Caucasus NGO Forum representing South Ossetia, a journalist, director of the Centre for Humanitarian Studies and Initiatives, was cruelly beaten in the vicinity of the tourist centre "Ossetia" in Tskhinval. Unconscious, he was brought to the republican hospital and spent five days in the reanimation department. A. Pliev, head of the department, diagnosed a fracture of the scull base and concussion of the brain.

As is pointed out in the address, Alan Parastaev only tried to obtain information from MIA officers about a pack of automobiles which they had stopped, for the information site of the South Federal District. "Robert Guliev, South Ossetia Minister of Internal Affairs, informed Anna Chochieva, Parastaev' wife, that criminal investigation department officers claim that Parastaev was drunk and attacked the MIA officers with a request to let pass the humanitarian aid of the Georgian government for Georgian settlements in South Ossetia, which they had stopped," highlights the address.

Note that, immediately after the incident, Robert Guliev, South Ossetia Minister of Internal Affairs, issued an order to conduct an investigation by the Internal Security Department of the RSO MIA. He informed journalists: "Materials have been registered on the incident with Parastaev, the MIA Internal Security Department conducts an internal investigation," cites Regnum minister's words.