Georgian police violates agreement on free movement of Ossetians in
the conflict zone; citizens of Armenia and Azerbaijan are blocked, too

Regnum, Russia
July 21 2006

Movement of ethnic Ossetians is blocked again by Georgian police in
Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone. South Ossetian Interior Minster
Mikhail Mindzayev is quoted by REGNUM as stating that recently,
Georgian police did not let pass passenger buses to remote villages
of Tskhinvali and Leninogorsk districts of South Ossetia. It was a
gross violation of agreements on the movement of persons and vehicles
in the conflict zone, the minister noted.

Mikhail Mindzayev assessed the Georgian police behavior as abusive. He
said that while performing their personal and baggage checks, the
police are going into minute details and insult people.

Georgian police control all roads connecting Ossetian and Georgian
villages. The minister pointed out that an agreement on free movement
of Ossetians was achieved earlier. "In case the Georgian side’s
tactic is continued, we will be forced to take adequate measures,"
Mikhail Mindzayev said.

At present, Georgia does not let pass Armenian and Azerbaijani citizens
through South Ossetian territory too.