Tea Topuria
Disappeared Abkhaz Gari Jopua was transferred to the de-facto government of Abkhazia. His health conditions are grave and currently he is in hospital. Gari Jopua disappeared on October 9. Reportedly, he was arrested by the officers of the second department of the MIA for illegal crossing of the border.
On October 9, 45-year-old Gari Jopua crossed administrative boarder in the village of Khurcha. He was transporting agricultural products by car “Gazel”. Locals said Georgian law enforcement officials detained Jopua and took him to the office of the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti regional police department. Later, it was reported that he was taken to Kutaisi. Georgian side still denies information about Jopua’s detention.
Representative of the de-facto government of Abkhazia Ruslan Kishmaria said they know the names of the police officers who arrested Jopua. They also know whom he was transferred to after detention. Kishmaria added that Jopua’s car was standing in Khurcha for several days that prove his disappearance on the Georgian-controlled territory.
The relatives of the kidnapped Abkhaz person applied to the Human Rights Center for help. Throughout a month, the Center tried to look for the kidnapped person everywhere where he could be placed after detention. The letter of the penitentiary department states they do not have similar detainee. Gari Jopua was not registered at hospitals too.
There was nothing reported about the missing Abkhaz citizen for a month. On November 2, news agency Interpresnews reported that after the meeting of the working groups in the framework of the incident prevention and respond the head of the information analytic department of the MIA Shota Utiashvili said the only issue the parties discussed during the meeting was disappearance of Abkhaz Gari Jopua. Utiashvili said he is ethnic Abkhaz citizen of Georgia who got lost near the administrative border in October; he did not have other information about him.
According to Abkhaz media sources, on November 8-9 Gari Jopua returned to Abkhazia. Later, the information was spread by media outlet “Kavkaski Uzel”. On November 8, strangers took Jopua to the village Nabakevi through the Enguri River. He was taken to the checkpoint of Russian frontiers blindfolded after what his eyes were unfolded and he was released.
Apsni Press also reported about Jopua. According to the news agency Gari Jopua is still unconscious and cannot recognize his relatives. He takes medical treatment at a medical center in Abkhazia. There is doubt that psychotropic substances were given to Jopua on Georgian side.
The ministry of internal affairs does not comment on the fact. De-facto foreign ministry of Abkhazia alleges the government of Georgia has secret prisons where they place people kidnapped from Abkhazia time by time.
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