23:58, 14 November 2006

Arrests of Georgian natives continue in Moscow

In Moscow, they go on with mass arrests and deportations of Georgian natives. This was the topic of the press conference "'Road to Calvary' of Georgian in Moscow Continues" held today in the Independent Press Centre. It was attended by members of human rights organizations and representatives of the offended party.

Svetlana Gannushkina, a Board member of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial," told that everything is done under a well-mastered scheme: irrespective of the presence of s Russian citizen's passport, a person is brought to a special reception centre, from where he or she is shortly forwarded to Tbilisi. The custody may last for several months, during which the "detainee" is not admitted to any court sessions but just kept in a cell as a "public enemy."

Let us note here that the majority of Georgian population in Russia is made up by refugees from Abkhazia. During the 1991-1992 war, they were forced leave their homes, and resettled here with all their families.