Georgian Journalists Detained Along South Ossetian Boundary

Three Georgian journalists have been detained close to an administrative boundary line of the breakaway region of South Ossetia.

The Tbilisi-based TV3 television channel says its reporter Bela Zakaidze, cameraman Vakhtang Lekiashvili, and a broadcast technician, Mikheil Mikhoev, were detained by Russian forces on the afternoon of April 15.

The TV crew was working on a report about "borderization" issues and attempts by Russian forces to shift boundary lines deeper into Georgian-controlled areas.

South Ossetia's official news agency RES reported that the breakaway region's authorities confirmed the detention of the three journalists "for violating the state border."

Russia maintains troops in South Ossetia and Georgia's other breakaway region, Abkhazia.

Moscow recognized the two regions as independent states after a short war with Tbilisi in August 2008.
With reporting by civil.ge