Hostage-Taking Incident Ends in South Ossetia

The Georgian side released a group of South Ossetians on August 31, after Ioseb Maisuradze, a resident of the Georgian village of Eredvi in the conflict zone, was released by the South Ossetian side, the Georgian media reported.

Ioseb Maisuradze was detained by the South Ossetian militias late on August 30 claiming that he was ?Georgian spy.?

In response, the residents of the Eredvi village seized a bus carrying ethnic Ossetians to the separatist capital, Tskhinvali. The Georgians released only children and women, but held several men in hostage demanding release of Ioseb Maisuradze.

The Georgian media reported that Ioseb Maisuradze was hospitalized with sever injuries to the town of Gori, near the conflict zone, after he was released.