The Social Justice Center addresses the incident involving the attempted kidnapping of Georgian residents in the village of Chvrinis and urges the government to enhance security measures in order to safeguard the populace residing in proximity to the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL).

On the 21st of April, in the village of Chvrinis, located within the Kareli municipality, occupation forces attempted to abduct two civilians. Media sources revealed that Mevlud Kharazishvili and his spouse were tending to their cattle in Georgian-controlled territory near the ABL when a pair of soldiers assaulted them, attempting to seize them. The couple managed to fend off the attackers and flee; however, the soldiers pursued them, brutally assaulting Mevlud Kharazishvili and causing severe facial injuries with the gunstock. The assailants even discharged their firearms twice during the chase. According to the victim's wife, they contacted individuals working in the vicinity and sought assistance. Although none dared to intervene directly, they alerted the police, who promptly arrived at the location, leading to the soldiers' withdrawal from the area.

Mevlud Kharazishvili continues to receive medical care at the Kareli hospital. The attending doctor reports that he has suffered facial injuries in addition to a cranial concussion, which was diagnosed via computer tomography. Presently, the patient remains under treatment within the therapeutic department.

Regarding the attempted unlawful detention of Georgian citizens, the State Security Service has issued a statement indicating that the European Union Monitoring Mission and the co-chairs of the Geneva International Discussions have been notified. The statement also mentions that the central government will address this issue vigorously on April 27 during a meeting in Ergneti in the scope of The Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM).

Elza Gogaladze, the victim's wife, explained to us in a conversation that such occurrences leave locals in a constant state of fear and tension. The village lacks formal demarcation; a banner that once marked the de facto boundary has since been removed. The territory is divided by a stream, and in this case, the soldiers were on the Georgian side of the stream, within Georgian-controlled territory. According to Elza Gogaladze, the police do not routinely patrol the village, and only a patrol party from a nearby village occasionally visits.

According to media reports, this is not an isolated incident of abduction from the village of Chvrinisi: in June 2018, occupation forces abducted 16-year-old Tato Kharazishvili, who was moving to a pasture area near the occupied territory, from this village. The minor was accused of illicitly crossing the border and subsequently transferred to the Tskhinvali detention facility. Moreover, a 62-year-old man, Giorgi Kharazishvili, was also abducted by the Russian military in 2018 on charges of illegally crossing the border while collecting figs in the forest. The State Security Service of Georgia's 2021 report indicated that during this period, 70 cases of unlawful detention occurred in Tskhinvali, while in 2022, 42 individuals were detained (comprising 3 minors, 35 men, and 4 women).

Daily security concerns exacerbate the fragile social and economic situation of the population residing in the villages close to the ABL. Persistent concerns about the safety of the local populace necessitate special state interventions. In this regard, it is essential that the state examine the notion of security from the perspective of human security and include physical, social, and informational security concerns. In addition, the state must implement an effective and comprehensive system of early warnings that will enable it to identify and prevent threats, as well as their causes and contributing factors, at an early stage. An early warning system is an integrated system of threat monitoring, forecasting, risk assessment, communication, and preparedness activities that enable individuals, communities, governments, and other actors to take timely action to mitigate security risks. Early warning systems with a “people-centric” approach should encompass four fundamental components: (1) risk quantification through systematic data collection and analysis, incorporating the input of local, vulnerable communities; (2) detection, monitoring, assessment, and prediction of threats and potential outcomes; (3) distribution and communication of authoritative, timely, accurate, and actionable alerts and relevant information regarding likelihood and impact from an official source; and (4) preparedness to respond to received warnings at all levels. To ensure the system's effectiveness, these four interconnected components must be coordinated across sectors and at various levels, and a process for ongoing improvement must be implemented. For the system to function effectively, these four interdependent components must be coordinated across sectors and at various levels, and a mechanism for continuous improvement must be incorporated. Unfortunately, Georgia lacks a well-functioning early warning system founded on a thorough understanding of security risks.  Moreover, our security policy lacks the human security-based knowledge and instruments necessary to address the daily physical, social, economic, and informational security concerns of our citizens.

This situation is exacerbated by the persistent poverty in the conflict-affected regions, the deteriorated social infrastructure, and depopulation. According to a study conducted by UN Women Georgia, 90 percent of ABL villages lack pharmacies, 85 percent lack access to irrigation water, 76 percent lack a potable water supply system, and 70 percent lack preschools. Notable is the fact that the state has not compensated the local families for the material losses they incurred as a result of the war. According to a UN Women study, as a consequence of the conflict, the population residing near the ABL in both conflict regions lost 66% of pastures, 57% of timber resources, and 50% of arable land, which has a significant impact on the local population's socioeconomic situation. Damages inflicted by the conflict were not compensated to 76% of the population. Clearly, this circumstance, coupled with the perils posed by the conflict, places the local population in a precarious position. In light of this backdrop, the alarming population decline in these villages is symptomatic. According to 2019 data, the population near the dividing line has decreased by 33%, which is twice the rate of decline for the entire Georgian population.

In light of the above, we request that the Georgian authorities:

• Increase security in villages along the dividing lines, including through routine surveillance, and in villages with high rates of illegal detention by establishing patrol checkpoints.
• Ensure the implementation of a democratic and effective early warning system and respond to security concerns with a comprehensive and socially sensitive human security policy;
• Prioritize the expeditious maintenance and improvement of social infrastructure in villages along the dividing line;
• To expedite the development of a state strategy document regarding de-occupation, taking into account the security concerns of the population residing along the dividing line.

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