South Ossetia releases five Georgian teenagers

Five teenagers from the group of eleven Georgian citizens, detained in South Ossetia on charges of illegal crossing of the border, were released.

All teenagers were detained at the border with South Ossetia by Russian border guards when the teenagers were collecting djondjoli (staphylea colchic) near the village of Korbouli of the Sachkhere District. This was reported today by the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Georgia.

According to the Georgian police, the teenagers were brought by South Ossetian militiamen to Znauri and then to the detention centre in Tskhinvali.

Five detainees were released as a result of the negotiations between the Analytical Department of the Georgian MIA, the Chief Department of Internal Affairs of the regions of Shida Kartli, Imereti, Racha, Lechkhumi-Kvemo, Svaneti, representatives of the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) in Georgia and the South Ossetian authorities. The negotiations on the release of six other detainees are underway, the "News-Georgia" reports.

The detainees who remained in South Ossetian prison are residents of the village of Korbouli, including one woman Mariam Kapanadze, the "Georgia Online" reports.

Besides, Georgy Dotiashvili, a 75-year-old Georgian shepherd, was detained by Russian soldiers for violation of the border of South Ossetia. He has been already released. And 55-year-old Avtandil Kvirikashvili, a citizen of Georgia, was also detained, the "Russian News Service" reports on May 1 with reference to the Georgian TV Company "Imedi".