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Maya Otinashvili is undertaking psychological rehabilitation course

October 15, 2018
Lado Bitchashvili, Shida Kartli

“When I was arrested, they blindfolded my eyes and took me to the Russian military base; then I was taken to Tskhinvali detention setting,” 37-years-old Maya Otinashvili started her story about 11-day imprisonment, which started on September 29, when Russian soldiers captured her in her agricultural plot in Khurvaleti village. The place where she was arrested is located within the Georgia-controlled territory. 

Otinashvili said during the detention she was physically abused but afterwards was treated normally. After the detention, the de-facto security committee of South Ossetia disseminated a statement and blamed Maya Otinashvili in assisting the citizens of South Ossetia and Georgia to illegally cross the border in exchange of money. 

Otinashvili does not agree with the imposed charge and stated that she does not know Russian well and could not understand the context of the documents which she signed in Tskhinvali. However, as she noted, on October 3, Tskhinvali de-facto court judged her for the violation of the so-called border and sentenced to one-month imprisonment.

“I spent 4 days in the pre-trial detention setting; then they held trial and I was sentenced to one-month imprisonment for illegal crossing of the ‘border”; I was taken to Tskhinvali prison,” Maya Otinashvili said. 

After the information about physical abuse of Maya Otinashvili was disseminated, [representatives of de-facto authority of Tskhinvali] brought journalists to meet her in prison. The head of the prison told Otinashvili it was important to take her video to convince the family that she was not beaten. Representatives of the Red Cross also visited Otinashvili in Tskhinvali prison.

Next trial in Tskhinvali court was held on October 9 and her one-month imprisonment was changed into one-year conditional sentence and was freed. 

State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality of Georgia Ketevan Tsikhelashvili said Otinashvili was arbitrary prisoner and the Government of Georgia did its best for her freedom.

“It was result of 24-hour work of our government. As for her detention, it was arbitrary as she was captured from her own plot,” Tsikhelashvili said.

Representative of the State Security Service Tamta Goguadze said Georgian sportsmen also contributed to the release of Maya Otinashvili together with state institutions. 

“With the engagement of State Security Service and other state bodies arbitrarily detained Maya Otinashvili was released. I want to express gratitude towards those sportsmen, who participated in this process,” Goguadze said.

After 11-day imprisonment in Tskhinvali prison Maya Otinashvili is undertaking the course of psychological rehabilitation. On September 12, Public Defender Nino Lomjaria visited her; she inquired about the conditions and treatment in Tskhinvali prison. 

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