Fate of Three Missing Ossetian People Is Still Obscure

Lado Bichashvili, Shida Kartli

Family members of Alan Khugaev, Alan Khachurov and Sarmat Pliev report that young people were arrested in Mereti village on October 13, 2008. They were driving car VAZ 2107 drunken. In the Georgia controlled territory police officers arrested them at Mereti blockpost.

Relative of one of the disappeared persons Shorena Tumaev told humanrights.ge that family has been unsuccessfully trying to get information about the detainee from the Georgian law enforcement bodies. After the government of Georgia changed, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) claims they do not have information about disappeared young men.

Shorena Tumaev: “Alan Khachurov’s family hired a lawyer, who was told that all three detainees were last seen in Gldani prison. Then the track lost. The family has information that police officers arrested all three young men. They were initially taken to Mereti police office, where they were physically abused, and then were taken to Shida Kartli regional police office. Alan Khachurov’s mother Venera Khachurov has video footage, which was made in Mereti police. The footage shows how police officers beat detainees.”

Several months ago, at the Ergneti meeting in the frame of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism, family members requested to find out situation about disappeared people.

Kakha Kemokilidze, representative of the Analytical Department of MIA, told humanrights.ge that there is no progress in the case. MIA had sent the case to the prosecutor’s office for further investigation. 

Kakha Kemoklidze: “Chief Prosecutor’s Office is investigating this case. There is no important news so far. The investigation does not have any documentation so it is impossible to officially confirm detention, judgment or imprisonment of those people. Though, investigation is going on.”

As for the video-footage, Kemoklidze said they should initially prove authenticity of the footage because it is difficult to identify detainees in it. 

In parallel to the investigation into disappearance of Alan Khugaev - DoB 1989, Alan Khachurov - DoB 1992 and Sarmat Pliev - DoB 1983 the Analytic Department of the MIA does not exclude possibility to repeatedly discuss the issue at the next meeting in the frame of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism.