An Appeal of the Human Rights Centre

The Human Rights Centre appeals to the OSCE and other international organization to assist Iana Bestaeva-Kandelaki, who is arrested by de-facto South Ossetian law enforcers.

The mother of the detainee has informed the Human Rights Centre that five days ago her daughter was arrested and she has been denied to meet with her parents. On April 21 (on the fifth day after the detention) she was blamed of having been traitor and that she had participated in an act of terrorism. Mzia Bestaeva-Kandelaki, the mother, connects the detention of her daughter with the activities of her husband, Sarmat Parastaev.

“On April 16 officials from the State Security Committee of South Ossetia took my twenty-year-old daughter, Iana Bestaeva-Kandelaki for the purpose of interrogating her. She was taken directly from her office without warning her parents or providing a supporting summon from the office of the prosecutor. I learned about the incident only two days later at the Prosecutor’s Office in Tskhinvali. They are basically hiding my daughter from me. I have been appealing to Aleksei Lepin, the investigator of the Prosecutor’s Office for three days already with a request to see my daughter.”

“An official from the State Security Committee tells me my daughter is being interrogated over several issues. They ask her questions about her holiday in summer in Georgia, about our relatives in Tbilisi and a terrorist act that occurred in Tskhinvali.”

“I do not know how my daughter is but I am not sure she is under influence of psychotropic drugs. Today, quite by chance I noticed her in the quarter of the prosecutor in the distance. Her expression and reaction on investigator’s questions was slow and inadequate. A militiaman whom I know close confirmed the same observation to me.”

“I intended to appeal to law enforcers, the president of South Ossetia, non-governmental organizations located in South Ossetia but I was advised not to appeal to them.”

“It will not change anything. Your daughter will be arrested as long as it is necessary,” told an employee of the Prosecutor’s Office.

“I think the detention of my daughter is connected with the activities of my husband Sarmat Parastaev.”

I, Mzia Kandelaki, the mother of Iana Bestaeva-Kandelaki, urges society to help me to find an independent lawyer who will protect the both the rights of my daughter and me.”

“Tskhinvali, Republic of South Ossetia”

The Human Rights Centre is gravely concerned about the situation and calls upon the international organizations to take appropriate measures to resolve the problem.