The armed Georgian population staying in one of the villages of the Pankisi Valley released all five Kist and one Chechen hostages at 5 a.m. today. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the action was an expression of kind will from the side of the population. So called criminal authorities promised Georgian population that they would do everything to punish those who had participated in kidnapping of common citizens.
When Mamuka Arabuli, a state guard employee, was kidnapped in the Pankisi Valley on July 13 the Laliskuri village population got armed and took 7 Kist and Chechen men in hostage. They were demanding that Mumuka Arabuli and others kidnapped in the valley be freed. Kists released Mamuka Arabuli and Davit Bazerashvili, another kidnapped, couple days ago.