Posted on 08/18/2008 12:27:32 AM PDT by Schnucki
More than 130 Georgian civilians are being held captive by South Ossetian authorities in the regional capital, Tskhinvali, after being rounded up and herded into a single room in the interior ministry headquarters here, the Guardian has learned.
The prisoners, who were plucked off the streets according to their nationality soon after hostilities broke out 10 days ago, are being kept indefinitely in the hope of exchanging them for Ossetian civilians allegedly abducted by Georgian soldiers during the conflict. One interior ministry official confirmed the plan, saying: "We hope there will be an exchange soon."
The 131 "hostages" are being held in a single room in the interior ministry headquarters in Tskhinvali, according to Taymuraz Khugayev, South Ossetia's prosecutor general. Roughly half of them are women and they include one 12-year-old girl. Most of them are Georgian "guest workers" who were living in the city when it was attacked on August 7. Their status is unclear. The taking of civilian hostages by warring parties is prohibited by Article 3 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
The Guardian was able to speak to a hostage after he was led out into the street by three soldiers. He looked nervously at his captors as he crossed the street. "I am Tamaz Barbikadze, a Georgian," he said. "I worked the last two years in Tskhinvali as an engineer." He glanced at his jailer with a gun at his hip: "I am a hostage."
Yesterday Georgian government officials said they were aware of the hostage situation. "We know about them,' said Koba Subeliani, an MP responsible for internally displaced persons. He added: "They want to exchange them for our hostages. The problem is we don't have any hostages so we can't do any exchange."
Barbikadze, 69, was only allowed to speak in the presence of
(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...
Why the quotes? The reporter isn't sure they're hostages?
He not only isn’t sure they’re “hostages”, but he belives that the Osettians would take a dump without Moscow’s tacit or direct approval. Now the South Ossetains have a legitmate government? Ok, sure.
The filthy Russians are responsible for these people being held, no one else!
However, at least the Guardian is covering it.
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