All news

South Ossetian lawmaker nabbed by Russian borderguards at request of Georgian Interpol

According to the representative, borderguards handed over Bestauty to police right after his detention

VLADIKAVKAZ, May 19 (Itar-Tass) — South Ossetian legislator and participant in the five-day war Bala Bestauty was detained at the Nizhny Zaramag border passage point on the Russian-South Ossetian border by Russian borderguards, Itar-Tass learnt from representative of the border department in North Ossetia Alexander Solod.

According to the representative, borderguards handed over Bestauty to police right after his detention.

The incident took place last night, and Bestauty is being questioned at the border department from this morning. The deputy reported that his detention was explained by the fact that the Georgian Interpol is looking for him, since Georgia instituted four cases on him for war crimes.

Speaking in an interview with Itar-Tass, South Ossetian President Leonid Tibilov called Bestauty’s detention a sad fact. “Our services are investigating all information on this incident,” Tibilov said. “Recurrence of this situation and voluntarism of any structures is inadmissible; this runs counter to Russia’s policy towards South Ossetia.”

Tibilov stressed that Bestauty is a South Ossetian citizen, and his interests will be defended by the republican leadership.

In the opinion of Vladimir Kochiev, a representative of the North Ossetian organization Civil Initiative, it is possible to apprehend any South Ossetian citizen and any North Ossetian citizen on requests from the Georgian Interpol who even once entered South Ossetia across the Russian Nizhny Zaramag passage point.

“Georgia regards such citizens criminals who violated the visa regime,” he emphasized.