28 April 2009, 22:10
South Ossetia reports that Valentina Bedoeva's children were released by Georgian police
The police of Georgia have released the children of Valentina Bedoeva, a resident of Vladikavkaz, arrested on Sunday, April 26. According to the South-Ossetian party, Ms Bedoeva herself is still in Georgia.
Earlier, law enforcement bodies of South Ossetia reported that the Georgian police had detained a Russian woman with two children. The reason of detention was allegedly her illegal crossing of Georgian border. Policemen demanded from detainee's relatives to pay, within a day, 3000 laris (about 1500$), threatening otherwise to bring the woman to criminal liability.
On April 27, law enforcement bodies of South Ossetia reported that "two children aged 10 of Valentina Bedoeva, a Russian citizen, arrested yesterday by Georgian police, were released and are now with their relatives in the Leningorsk District of South Ossetia."
The victim's relatives said that Marina and Marat, both aged 10, are strongly frightened, as the IA "OSinform" reports.
Bedoeva is still in Georgia. According to her relatives, they managed to raise the required 3000 laris and hand them over to the Georgian party, which promised to free the woman on April 27; however, as the ITAR-TASS reports, so far there is no information about her liberation.
The Georgian police, in their turn, categorically refute any detention of a Russian woman-citizen, an Ossetian national, together with her children. "Georgian law enforcers didn't detain any Ossetian, especially any woman with children," said Vladimir Dzhugeli, head of regional police Shida Kartli, as quoted by the "Georgia Online".
On Saturday, April 25, the detained Bedoeva and her children were visiting their relatives in the pre-border dwelling settlement of Leningor (the Georgian name is Akhalgori). On Sunday, April 26, they were going to visit their other relatives who live in the Georgian territory.
