18 April 2014, 04:31
Georgian journalists detained in South Ossetia claim not crossing border
Journalists of the Georgian "TV3" Channel detained on April 15 by Russian border guards in Gori District claim they did not violate the border with South Ossetia. However, they do not deny that they captured on video the Russian military base.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on April 15, a squad of the Russian Border Guard Service of the Russian FSB detained three Georgian citizens on suspicion of violating the border with South Ossetia. The journalists were brought to the Border Guard Service of the South Ossetian FSB. On April 16, the authorities of South Ossetia extradited the journalists to the Georgian side.
The Georgian government treated the actions of the Russian border guards as a continuation of the occupation policy. In its turn, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) described the actions of the journalists as a provocation and noted that they were engaged in filming the border infrastructure.
The journalists have acknowledged the fact of the filming of the Russian military base; however, according to cameraman Vakhtang Lekiashvili, the filming was conducted from far distance and from the Georgian territory.
Author: Beslan Kmuzov Source: CK correspondent
