Georgia: Russia tightens control over occupied territory

Giorgi Lomsadze: 8/21/08

Russia is instituting procedures in areas of Georgia under its control that indicate Russian troops will not be withdrawing in accordance with a six-point stabilization blueprint. Human Rights Watch is also raising an alarm about conditions in the conflict zone, asserting that Russia's use of cluster bombs has created an ongoing hazard to the civilian population.

Russia has taken steps to tighten its control over areas occupied by Russian troops, in particular the strategic hub of Gori. The Georgian government announced that the Russian Embassy in Tbilisi has notified it that "to arrange civilized movement throughout Gori," information about "delegation members, travel objectives and duration, transport vehicles and itinerary" must now first be submitted to the Russian mission in Tbilisi. The note appears to refer to both diplomats and non-diplomats, including humanitarian aid workers. The information will be relayed to the Russian defense ministry, the note continues, "in order to give respective instructions to the peacekeeping command, which will further ensure unhindered movement."

The embassy was not available for immediate comment or elaboration. The Georgian government, however, has termed the requirements a violation of international law based "on Soviet-imperialist traditions."

For the past few days, a move towards tighter travel restrictions has appeared to be in the works. French Ambassador Eric Fournier was reportedly stopped on the morning of August 21 near Gori for three hours as he tried to return to Tbilisi from a village further west. Matyas Eorsi, an envoy from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, was initially refused entry to Gori on August 20, before the decision was reversed. In a blow to local sensitivities, the governor of Shida Kartli, Lasha Vardzelashvili, was detained for two hours by Russian forces after trying to secure a humanitarian aid convoy's passage through a Russian checkpoint.

Entrance for journalists has also become problematic, with varying rules on what checkpoint allows entrance and increasing delays required for travel into the city. Two American journalists were arrested in the past day, although they were subsequently released. The reasons for their detention were not immediately clear.

At the same time, Russian forces demonstrate no inclination to withdraw from the positions in Georgia that they currently hold. Gori residents told EurasiaNet that they watched Russian troops scrap checkpoints in the city on August 20 only to witness them reinstalled later in the day. The residents said, however, that Russian forces appear to be thinning out inside the city. Georgian police officers have so far not been permitted to reenter the city to reestablish a security presence.

A resident in the village of Kvakhevi, eight kilometers outside of Gori and within Russian-occupied territory, told EurasiaNet that Russian troops were still holding the heights around the city. "From here, I can see some 10 armored vehicles," said Saba Tsitsikashvili of the Human Rights Information and Documentation Center. "Nothing here suggests that a withdrawal is underway."

That evaluation echoes earlier statements by PACE envoy Eorsi, who told reporters on August 19 that he had witnessed no evidence of a withdrawal.

Many Georgians fear that Russian forces are intent on a prolonged occupation of a sizable portion of their country. The original deal covering the cessation of hostilities, hastily brokered by France, left some room for interpretation about how far back Russia troops must retreat.

An August 14 letter to Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili from French President Nicolas Sarkozy specifies that "[t]he zone for ‘additional security measures' can be only the closest environs of South Ossetia, and under no circumstance should extend to other parts of Georgian territory. No major urban city settlement can fall within this zone, in particular I refer to the city of Gori."

Moscow as yet has issued no direct response to the contradiction between the terms of the agreement and the situation on the ground, only saying that the withdrawal will take time and will proceed in phases.

The continuing Russian presence in Gori appears to be hampering humanitarian aid efforts. The International Committee of the Red Cross describes the situation in and around Gori as difficult. "There have been more people outside today ... mostly old people. They've been asking for food and medicine," said Jessica Barry, the ICRC spokeswoman in Tbilisi. The ICRC received a permit from the Russian Embassy in Tbilisi to send its vehicles into Gori and the environs.

The dangers around Gori are not limited to food shortages. Human Rights Watch on August 21 charged that Russia used cluster bombs to the north of Gori during the fighting with Georgia. Many submunitions, or clusters, did not explode, thus leaving large areas strewn with "hundreds" of unexploded ordnance. Several civilian deaths have ensued from handling the armaments, the organization said.

"Many more people could be killed or wounded unless Russia allows professional de-mining organizations to enter at once to clean the affected areas," Human Rights Watch senior military analyst Marc Garlasco told a Tbilisi press conference. Russia has denied using cluster bombs. In May, 111 nations signed a convention banning the use of cluster munitions. Russia is not a signatory of the pact.

The sense of a lingering danger is also taking hold in the Black Sea port city of Poti, where residents over the past day have watched with alarm as Russian troops have reinforced their positions around the city. "They have been digging trenches all day long yesterday, even in the rain," said Isa Salakaia, a reporter for Radio Imedi. "The civilian port is still operational, but the port authorities told us that American aid will probably be redirected to Batumi port [some 60 kilometers to the south on Georgia's Black Sea coast] because of what the Russians are doing here now."

The US Embassy said that two US navy ships and a US Coast Guard cutter carrying humanitarian aid are likely to sail into Batumi's port "in a couple of days."

Salakaia, the radio reporter, said that Russian convoys have been busy crisscrossing Poti from the port and outlying military bases, ransacking and destroying maritime and military infrastructure. "Today they blew up military barracks, a nearby canteen and an ATM," Salakaia told EurasiaNet. Several dozen residents marched through the city today in a peaceful protest against the Russian occupation of their city. Salakaia said Russian troops avoid contact with the local population.

In central Georgia, at the Igoeti checkpoint outside of Gori, however, direct contact is unavoidable. Protests against the Russian occupation of Georgia, complete with flags, banners, and TV cameras, are a reoccurring event. A sharp response from one exasperated, rifle-bearing soldier on August 21 symbolized the depth of the divide between the two states. "Ossetia is ours!" he yelled back in Russian at protestors bearing English-language signs. "It's Russian!" Only a brief silence met the outburst before the protestor chants resumed.

Editor's Note: Giorgi Lomsadze is a freelance reporter based in Tbilisi. EurasiaNet.org's Caucasus news editor, Elizabeth Owen, added reporting to this story.