South Ossetians ordered to register weapons
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 22 February 2010 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, South Ossetians ordered to register weapons, 22 February 2010, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4b98a7c71a.html [accessed 1 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
February 22, 2010
South Ossetian men shoot in the air to celebrate the recognition of South Ossetian independence by Russia in August 2008.
TSKHINVALI, South Ossetia – Police in Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia have set a deadline of March 1 for people to register illegal weapons or risk prosecution, RFE/RL's Georgian Service reports.
When Russia's war with Georgia over South Ossetia erupted in August 2008, many residents of the South Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali, broke into arms stores and seized weapons to defend themselves. South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity has repeatedly called on the population to surrender those arms, with little success.
Fatima Margiyeva, editor of the independent newspaper "Pozitsiya," was arrested last week on a charge of illegal possession of arms even before the deadline for registering arms expired. She considers that charge politically motivated and has embarked on a hunger strike in jail.
South Ossetian oppositionists say her sole "crime" was to report openly and honestly on the situation in the self-declared republic.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
