According to media reports spread on August 16, 2017, local resident and civil activist Tamar Mearakishvili was detained in the occupied district of Akhalgori. Tamar Mearakishvili had always been actively expressing her civic positions and critical opinions aimed at protecting the rights of the Akhalgori population. Due to this, she had been under pressure from the de facto authorities in recent years, which ended up by her abduction in July of this year.

The Public Defender assesses the detention of Tamar Mearakishvili as illegal deprivation of liberty, pressure on the civil activist and restriction on freedom of expression. This detention should also be assessed as a compulsion to leave Akhalgori permanently. It's worrying that pressure on civil activists and non-governmental organizations has acquired a regular character in the so-called South Ossetian region.

The Public Defender calls on the de facto authorities to immediately release Tamar Mearakishvili. He also calls on the Government of Georgia to take all measures for the protection of the safety of Tamar Mearakishvili and her release.