The Social Justice Center responds to the case of the illegal detention of Tamar Mearakishvili by the de facto regime of South Ossetia and calls on the Government of Georgia to immediately use appropriate political and diplomatic measures to ensure her timely release.

As has become known to the public, Tamar Mearakishvili was detained at her home late at night on December 22 by the de facto Security Service of South Ossetia on charges of espionage under Article 276 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, an offence punishable by 10 to 20 years of imprisonment. According to one media report, on the night of December 22 Tamar Mearakishvili informed her relatives that several unknown individuals had entered her apartment through the balcony, and shortly afterward her residence was filled with law enforcement officers. Contact with her was then lost.

A statement by the de facto Prosecutor General’s Office of South Ossetia claims that “a citizen of Georgia present in South Ossetia collected and transmitted information about strategically important facilities in the republic, thereby endangering the country’s security.” Subsequently, the de facto Security Service of South Ossetia also stated that the media had used Tamar Mearaqkshvili for propaganda activities in support of Georgia and its Western partners.

In recent times, Tamar Mearakishvili had been actively speaking out about the problem of restrictions on her rights in the Tskhinvali region. She repeatedly requested meetings with the de facto President Alan Gagloev and the de facto Speaker of Parliament Alan Margiev. She also demanded explanations from local agencies as to why, for years, she had not been issued a so-called passport of a “citizen” of the Tskhinvali region or the necessary documents (a permit) required for travel to territory controlled by Georgia.

Tamar Mearakishvili also stated that starting on December 23 she planned to begin a hunger strike in protest against “arbitrary governance by the authorities, the law on public service, labor legislation, and the complete disregard of her rights.” As a local opposition party reported via a Telegram channel, the prosecutor’s office acted preemptively in order to suppress Mearakishvili’s protest, which citizens were likely to support.

Local law enforcement bodies had also reacted sharply to Mearakishvili’s 2023 protest, when she went out alone into the street holding a placard reading “Stop Corruption.” At that time, the activist’s phone was confiscated and her poster was torn up.

For years, Tamar stated that local security services had placed her on a so-called “blacklist,” and that, arbitrarily and for political reasons, she was denied the documents necessary for movement. As a result, over the past eight years Mearakishvili has lived in complete isolation.

The de facto regime detained Tamar Mearakishvili on similar charges in 2017 as well, when she was abducted from near her home and pressured for 16 hours to obtain a confession that she allegedly cooperated with Georgian security services. For years, the de facto regime found Mearaqishvili’s activity on social networks and in the media unacceptable, where she spoke about corrupt schemes and abuses by local agencies.

It was during this period that all types of her personal documentation were confiscated. However, five years later, in 2022, the de facto court acknowledged that the persecution against her had been unfounded and terminated the case due to the absence of elements of a crime. Despite this, the de facto regime continued to keep Tamar Mearaqishvili in isolation and did not issue her the documents necessary for movement.

In recent months, Tamar stated that she was constantly being denied the documents required for movement, or that the relevant agencies failed to respond to her requests. She had also started her own small business (a clothing store) in the city of Tskhinvali, for which she brought clothing from territory controlled by Georgia. She repeatedly encountered obstacles in transporting goods, and most recently it became known to us that her shipment of clothing was confiscated by the de facto Security Service.

To date, Tamar Mearakishvili’s condition and whereabouts remain unknown, as does whether she has a lawyer. No information about her situation has been provided to her daughter. Tamar Mearakishvili’s parents live in the Tskhinvali region, in Akhalgori.

The persecution and harassment of this civic activist, which began eight years ago, has entered a new phase. The systematic violation of her rights is a clear example of the rights-related barriers caused by occupation. For this reason, it is important that the Government of Georgia respond to such cases with greater responsibility and with proactive diplomatic, political, and legal measures. It is evident that over the past eight years the Government of Georgia has not taken effective steps to protect the rights of its citizen or to ensure her freedom of movement, and she is now at risk of long-term imprisonment.

For years, Tamar Mearakishvili’s voice from Akhalgori has been virtually the only one providing the wider public with information about the situation there. She has consistently taken a critical stance toward the de facto authorities in Tskhinvali and has frequently spoken out about gross human rights violations and severe social and economic problems in the region. She has also criticized the Georgian government for the inadequate fulfillment of its positive obligations regarding the occupied territories.

At the same time, the work of an independent Georgian activist in the region is of particular importance for supporting the local ethnic Georgian population and for fostering relations and social dialogue between Georgian and Ossetian communities. It is precisely because of this activity that Tamar has once again become a victim of unlawful criminal prosecution.

In light of the above, it is critically important that the Government of Georgia immediately take measures to protect the rights and physical safety of its citizen and to secure her timely release. The authorities must use all political and diplomatic mechanisms at their disposal and inform the public about the steps taken.

The Social Justice Center has been defending Tamar Mearakishvili’s rights and interests for years and will continue to regularly inform the public about developments related to the case.

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