Tbilisi demands from ECtHR to punish Russia for oppressing Georgians

In its complaint to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), Georgia has accused Russia of oppressing ethnic Georgians in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, paying special attention to the death of Gigi Otkhozoriya and Archil Tatunashvili.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on February 22, South-Ossetian law enforcers detained Archil Tatunashvili, stating that he had been preparing acts of sabotage. On February 23, the man died, and Georgia accused Russia of his death.

According to the Georgian Ministry of Justice (MoJ), the complaint to the ECtHR concerns mass oppressions of Georgians, detentions, assaults and murders, "which intensified after the 2008 war and reached a critical point this February, when Archil Tatunashvili was tortured and killed."

"Georgia demands from the ECtHR to establish Russia's responsibility for violating several articles of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)," says the MoJ's statement.

The complaint is about the right to life, freedom and security, prohibition of torture and discrimination, right to privacy, and the right to freedom of travel.

The Georgian MoJ has added that the investigation is hampered by "both Russia and local authorities who are trying to hide the crime."