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Peaceful Rally at Occupation Line Demanded Georgian Doctor’s Release

Peaceful rally in Odzisi village demanding freedom for Georgian doctor Gaprindashvili. December 15, 2019. Photo: Screengrab from Tok TV video

Family and friends of Georgian doctor Vazha Gaprindashvili, who remains in two-month pretrial custody in Tskhinvali jail, held a protest rally at the the line of Russian occupation, near village Odzisi adjacent to occupied Tskhinvali region yesterday, demanding his release.

Doctor Gaprindashvili’s wife, Tamila Lapanashvili thanked the protesters, which included members of the ruling Georgian Dream party and opposition, as well as civic activists, for their support. 

Calling on Ossetian people and doctors to release her husband, Lapanashvili said, the fact that Vazha Gaprindashvili remains in custody “in his homeland due to his human mission,” is “devastating” for his family and friends. 

Court in Akhalgori district left Tbilisi-based doctor, Vazha Gaprindashvili in two-month custody for “illegally crossing the border” in occupied Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia on December 13.

Detained in mid-November, Gaprindashvili was charged with “illegally crossing the border” under article 322 of the Criminal Code of Russia by occupied Tskhinvali officials. 

At a news briefing a week ago, Lapanashvili noted that despite Georgian state actors’ engagement since the very beginning in negotiations aimed to release Gaprindashvili, their promises about doctor’s timely release from Tskhinvali prison remain unfulfilled.

Calling for her husband’s “unconditional and immediate” release from Tskhinvali jail, Lapanashvili announced on December 9 that if no attempts yield any result, the family would choose “more radical forms of protest.”

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