Article author:
Reuters
Amsterdam — On Thursday, a judge in the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants to three suspects, including two Russian citizens from a 2008 conflict in Georgia.
The prosecutor has provided "reasonable grounds for believing that each of these three suspects is liable for war crimes," the three judges said in a statement.
Russia and Georgia fought a five-day war in 2008 over Georgia's pro-Russian secession region, South Osetia (population 53,000).
Georgia states that Russia, its territory in South Osetia, is an independent country and has increased its military presence during and after the conflict.
The accusations are related to alleged civilian abuse in a detention center in Tskhinvali, the capital of the South Oceania region of Georgia, from August 8 to 27, 2008.
"Ethnically recognized Georgian civilians are arrested in the South Osetia region of Georgia and subsequently used as a bargaining tool by de facto authorities in Russia and South Osetia. Earlier, he was detained, abused and kept in severe detention, for the exchange of prisoners and detainees, "said the three judges.
Arrest warrants illegally imprison, torture, and inhumanely treat both Russian citizens Mikhail Mindzaev (66) and Gamlet Guchmazov (45). Anger against personal dignity, hostages, illegal transfer of civilians.
Minzaev was the de facto Interior Minister of the South Ossetian government at the time, and Gutimazov led the detention center.
The third warrant was against Georgian Georgievic Sanakoev, who was suspected of taking hostages and illegally transferring civilians. He was the presidential representative of the human rights of the South Ossetian government, the judge said.
ICC prosecutors have been investigating possible crimes in South Osetia since 2016.
A court spokesperson said he could not provide information about the suspect's potential location or whether they knew. Of complaints about them. (Report by Toby Sterling, edited by Raissa Kasolowsky and Barbara Lewis)
