02 February 2012, 22:10
Tskhinvali hands five detained citizens of Georgia over to Tbilisi
On February 1, the authorities of South Ossetia handed five Georgians detained by Russian border guards on charges of illegally crossing the border over to the Georgian party.
According to the South-Ossetian party, the detainees are Tokadze brothers - Muraz and David, and Nodar Magaladze, Shalva Papiashvili and Murman Tatiashvili, the IA "Res" reports.
The transfer of the detainees took place in the pre-border village of Ergneti (Ergneti).
Today, the fact of transfer was confirmed by Vladimir Djugeli, the head of the department of the Georgian MIA in the Shida Kartli Region. According to his story, at present South Ossetia still keeps three Georgian citizens detained almost a year ago. Negotiations on releasing them are underway. According to Mr Djugeli, by mid-February they may be handed over to the Georgian party, the "News-Georgia" reports.
Meanwhile, on February 1, the Russian Federal Security Bureau (FSB) reported that in January 2012 the FSB's border guards detained more than 15 persons on the border of South Ossetia with Georgia.
