The President of Georgia discussed the case of the illegally detained Zaza Gakheladze with the UN Secretary General and asked the international community to assist in his release, the administration of the President of Georgia reports.
The administration says the President of Georgia raised the issue at a face-to-face meeting with Antonio Gutierrez within the framework of the Generation Equality Forum in Paris today.
“The conversation focused on the dire humanitarian situation in the occupied territories of Georgia and human rights violations, including restrictions on freedom of movement by the occupation regime and illegal kidnappings of people,” reads the statement.
Gakheladze, a Georgian citizen residing in the village of Kvemo Chala, near the occupation line, was shot by Russian-controlled occupation forces in the summer of 2020. Later, the “Supreme Court” of the self-proclaimed republic of South Ossetia has sentenced him to 12 years and 6 months in prison in February 2021.
The Tskhinvali court convicted Gakheladze on two counts: Article 317 of the Russian Criminal Code (encroachment on the life of a law enforcement officer) and Article 322 (illegal crossing of the state border).
By Ana Dumbadze
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