Council of Europe (CoE) Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg, arrived in Georgia as part of his efforts to help clarify fate of persons missing since the August, 2008 war and to resolve issue of detained persons.
Hammarberg, who is expected to hold talks in Tbilisi and also in Tskhinvali, has mediated release of several Georgian and South Ossetian detainees. He has also sent two experts to Georgia to oversee investigations to find out whereabouts of those persons from the both side, who are missing since the August war with focus made on three Ossetians missing since October, 2008.
In what Tbilisi said was "an expression of good will", the Georgian sidereleased on March 30 four residents of breakaway South Ossetia and two Russian citizens from North Ossetia detained by the Georgian police in a period between October 2008 and January 2010. With this release, Tbilisi has reportedly released all Ossetians detained after the August war. About dozen of Georgians remain held in Tskhinvali.
Civil Georgia
