The President of South Ossetia attributed Mearakishvili's arrest to attempts to "destabilize the situation in the republic"

Alan Gagloev, the President of the self-proclaimed Republic of South Ossetia, commented on the arrest of civil society activist and ethnic Georgian Tamara Mearakishvili, accused of spying for Georgia.

According to Gagloev, the arrest is linked to attempts to "destabilize the situation in the republic." He stated that the investigation has "facts and documents confirming her involvement in the alleged charges." Gagloev provided journalists with a "certificate from the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs," allegedly confirming payment of a monetary reward to Mearakishvili.

According to the South Ossetian President, he will not allow "the children's holiday to be ruined."

"If someone wants to ruin the children's New Year, let them go and protest in central Tbilisi," he stated.

Tamara Mearakishvili, who demanded a meeting with Gagloev and was detained before her announced solo picket, is in pretrial detention. She faces 10 to 20 years in prison on charges of espionage for Georgia. After her arrest, she went on a hunger strike.

South Ossetian authorities previously prohibited Mearakishvili from holding a picket against corruption in the region. In 2022, the republic's Prosecutor General's Office announced the closure of the criminal case against her due to a lack of evidence of a crime. She was accused of slandering a member of the republic's ruling party, United Ossetia. A criminal case was also opened against the activist for illegally acquiring a South Ossetian passport, and her home was searched. Human rights activists claim she was persecuted for criticizing the authorities and exposing instances of corruption.

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