State Security Service denies information that state hides illegal detentions

According to the State Security Service, the narrative about the frequent illegal arrests is false. According to them, it is wrong to connect this narrative with both the general and security policies pursued by the state in relation to the occupied territories. Giorgi Sabedashvili, Director of the Information-Analytical Department of State Security Service held a briefing about the above issue today.

As he noted, illegal arrests, the so-called illegal borderization process and other consequences of the occupation are the direct responsibility of the Russian Federation as a force exercising effective control over the occupied territories, and the illegal detentions carried out by the occupation regime have been taking place after the 2008 Russia-Georgia war.

“We would like to respond to the reports, often containing false information, spread in the society in recent days regarding the illegal detentions carried out by the occupation regime and the issue of occupation in general. At the same time, the State Security Service explicitly states that it welcomes the interest of the media and supports the civil society protests against illegal arrests and occupation. I would like to emphasize that illegal detentions, the so-called illegal borderization process and other consequences of the occupation are the direct responsibility of the Russian Federation as a force exercising effective control over the occupied territories.

There is a misconception that the state hides the facts of illegal detentions or the identities of the detainees. We declare with full responsibility that information about illegally detained persons is disseminated in their best interests. The fact of unlawful detention of each person is assessed individually, during which the state reserves the right to determine the appropriate time for the publication of the fact, as quite often, the information disseminated may be detrimental to the release process and similar cases have occurred many times. As for the statistics of illegally detained persons, this information is public and available to all stakeholders. In view of all the above, the narrative that the state is concealing illegal detentions is qualitatively wrong and aims to mislead both the media and the public”, said Giorgi Sabedashvili.