Inmates' protests result in dismissal of Tskhinvali colony boss

Otar Margiev has been fired from the post of the head of the administration for the execution of sentences. The dismissal occurred amid inquiry into the incident in the Tskhinvali colony and the conflict in parliament.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on June 5 at least six inmates of the Tskhinvali colony were hospitalized with laceration wounds after a conflict with the colony administration. Their relatives gathered outside the parliament building of South Ossetia and demanded to sort out the incident. They asserted that the inmates had been beaten up. The republic's authorities treated the incident as a regime violation by the inmates and denied the fact of beating them.

Colonel of Interior, Otar Margiev, was dismissed from the post of the head of the Tskhinvali correctional colony, says the decree signed by Anatoly Bibilov, President of South Ossetia.

The Margiev's dismissal was preceded by his removal from post during the official investigation, which was announced on June 8 by Alan Tadtaev, Speaker of South-Ossetian Parliament.

"An inquiry is underway into the colony incidents. Besides, a criminal case was opened against an employee of the sentence enforcement division of the prosecutor's office concerning facts of getting a mobile phone and prohibited items into the colony cell," said Tadtaev, as quoted by the "Res" News Agency.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 9, 2020 at 10:39 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.