Georgian Peacekeepers Released in South Ossetia

Authorities in breakaway South Ossetia, on July 9, released a majority of the Georgian peacekeepers being held there; however, three Georgians still remain in detention in the region’s capital.

Controversy persists over the three Georgians who remain in a Tskhinvali jail. The South Ossetian side claims that the three Georgians were not among those 50 Georgian peacekeepers, which were disarmed and arrested on July 8 by the South Ossetian militias after raiding the Georgian village of Vanati in the breakaway region. Officials in Tskhinvali claim that the remaining prisoners are ?criminals, not peacekeepers.?

?We demand the immediate release of these three Georgians. Talks are being held with the South Ossetian side to foster this release,? Georgian MP Givi Targamadze, chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for Defense and Security told reporters. He admitted that the three persons were arrested by the South Ossetian side before the capture of the Georgian peacekeepers.