Georgian police demand to move activists' tent on the border with South Ossetia

The police have asked to move the tent of activist of the "Force in Unity" movement into the territory of Georgia, but the protesters have managed to maintain the status quo, David Katsarava, the head of the movement, has stated.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on November 7 the South-Ossetian party began installing pillars with barbed wire on the border near the Georgian village of Atotsi in the Shida Kartli Region. On the same day, activists of the "Force in Unity" launched a round-the-clock post and prevented further works. They stated that as a result of the installation of fences, residents of the Georgian village lost access to their agricultural lands. On December 8, a musical protest action was held in the village of Atotsi.

Since July 2017, the "Strength in Unity" movement has been patrolling the territories of border villages aiming to draw attention to the problem of detention of Georgian citizens. On April 24, David Katsarava, the initiator of patrolling, declared that residents of Georgia were detained on the border with South Ossetia every three days. Border guards were staging ambushes and can kidnap people, he has added.

According to Mr Katsarava, policemen have explained that the tent should be moved for security reasons.

"But for us this is a matter of principle! We won't move from this line and won't allow anyone to continue occupying Georgia," said David Katsarava.

About a hundred persons came to support the activists, among them, Zaza Saralidze, the father of a schoolboy killed in Tbilisi last December, said Yegor Kuroptev, a journalist.

"Due to the large number of people, the police stopped trying to move the post," Mr Kuroptev has added.