Georgian court sentences three Abkhazians to prison

Otkhozoria-Tatunashvili List

Three residents of Abkhazia, members of the so-called “Gagra group”, were found guilty by a Georgian court

According to the prosecutor’s office, the court proved that the defendants committed attempted murder with the use of firearms on the territory of the Abkhaz Autonomous Republic and Zugdidi municipality between 1999 to 2004, and committed robbery. In addition, members of the criminal gang held hostages, demanding ransom from their relatives.

“The court chose detention as a preventative measure, after which a search was announced against them,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

Otkhozoria-Tatunashvili List

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Otkhozoria-Tatunashvili List

The Parliament of Georgia approved the Otkhozoria-Tatunashvili sanctions list in June 2018. The opposition claims that this occurred under pressure from the public, and that the Georgian authorities are inactive, although the sanctions could affect more people.

The list includes people who, since 1991, have committed crimes against Georgian citizens in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region. The purpose of compiling such a list is to ensure the safety of Georgian citizens in territories that are not controlled by the Georgian authorities. The list is named after Gigi Otkhozoria and Archil Tatunashvili, Georgian citizens killed in 2016 and 2018, but includes not only the names of those convicted for their murders, but also those accused of other serious crimes.

By order of the Georgian government, the following sanctions are placed on those on the Otkhozoria-Tatunashvili list: their property shall be confiscated; they shall be restricted inthe right to buy property, as well as to carry out financial transactions in the partner states of Georgia; they shall not be able to obtain visas to travel to Georgia’s partner countries; they shall not be able to take advantage of the benefits established by the Georgian authorities for residents of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The last point includes the right to be examined and treated free of charge in Georgian hospitals – this much-needed benefit was introduced in 2010.

Otkhozoria-Tatunashvili List