South-Ossetian President pardons Bestaev, Georgian resident

Anatoly Bibilov has signed a decree pardoning the Georgian citizen, Gennady Bestaev, convicted for illegal crossing the border, who fell into coma in the Tskhinvali prison.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in South Ossetia, Bestaev was sentenced to three years in prison for illegal crossing the demarcation line.

In July, Bibilov pardoned the Georgian citizen, Zaza Gakheladze, sentenced to 12.5 years in prison after a shootout with border guards. David Katsarava, the head of the "Strength in Unity" movement, who was holding actions demanding to release Gakheladze, expressed his bewilderment at the fact that Gennady Bestaev, who was found guilty of a less grave crime, was left in prison.

Gennady Bestaev, 53, a resident of the village of Zardiantkari, Gori Municipality of Georgia, was detained in November 2019 near the village of Khelchua, Tskhinvali District. The Tskhinvali City Court found him guilty under the articles "Illegal border crossing" and "Drug smuggling".

"Earlier, this violator had been repeatedly detained for similar offenses," the South-Ossetian KGB's Facebook page has reported.

On the eve of the pardoning decision, Bestaev suffered a stroke; he was hospitalized in critical condition.

Let us remind you that detentions of Georgian citizens on demarcation line with South Ossetia continue. On October 29, the Georgian State Security Service (SSS) announced the detention of two persons near the village of Lopani.