Tbilisi, June 24, 2021
Photo: agenda.ge
His Holiness Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia has appealed to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow to intercede for the release of a Georgian citizen who was arrested at the border with South Ossetia last year.
34-year-old Zaza Gakheladze was shot and arrested on July 11, 2020, at the South Ossetian Administrative Boundary Line. South Ossetia considers itself independent, while Georgia considers it a Russian-occupied region of Georgia.
Gakheladze was found guilty of illegally crossing the border and the attempted murder of a border guard, reports agenda.ge. On January 5, South Ossetian authorities extended Gakheladze’s detention for another 12.5 years.
Members of the prisoner’s family have turned to the Georgian Patriarchate for help, Pat. Ilia informs Pat. Kirill in his letter dated June 23. Gakheladze was “hunting by the historical Skhvilo fortress, near his village, by the temporary border with the Tskhinvali Region, when he was detained by servicemen of the border services of the Russian Federation,” he writes.
“He has been sentenced to 12.5 years(!)” the Georgian primate writes with alarm. “This is a heavy trial both for him and his parents, wife, and young children.”
Thus, the Catholicos-Patriarch calls on the Russian primate to intercede on Gakheladze’s behalf, that he be released and returned to his family. “We well understand that this a difficult issue, but it must be taken into account that Gakheladze was in this area unintentionally.”
“His release would bring joy to all the Georgian people,” Pat. Ilia writes.
“Your Holiness, you have helped us in such situations several times in the past, for which we again express our gratitude and hope that you will do everything in your power this time too,” the letter concludes.
The EU has been calling for Gakheladze’s release, and his family has given the Georgian government one month to secure his release. They held a rally near the border yesterday, declaring that if the government fails to secure Zaza’s release, they themselves will cross over the border line.
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