G. Bakhtadze, Chechenpress, August 4, 2004
The Chechen refugees living in Pankisi consider the events that took place at dawn of 3 August in the gorge a purposeful provocation of the Georgian force structures jointly with the Russian special services. Press service of the Ministry of State Security in a few words commented on the mentioned event: "The employees of the Ministry of State Security carried out today in Pankisi Gorge (Eastern Georgia) a preventive operation aimed at revealing the persons illegally living in the territory of Georgia. According to the information received from the press centre, 11 persons have been detained in the course of the operation, including the Chechen-Kists, ethnical Chechens residing in the territory of Georgia. Later, four of them were released, as they presented appropriate documents".
| Looks like a fairly innocuous raid... |
It is not clear what made the Georgian special services carry out the operation under cover of night, convoyed by armored troop carriers. The masked servicemen without producing any certificates or sanctions broke into the refugees' houses, beating the women, children, and detaining the men.
| Ohoh! And they kicked the puppies and kittens and stomped the baby ducks, did they? |
They arrived in 18 jeeps and 10 microbuses to conduct a night raid. 11 people have been arrested. All of them have been released. After the women blocked the road and tried to prevent the movement of the column, 10 to 12 of them were beaten, including a pregnant woman who was taken to hospital.
| "Help! Help! I'm being oppressed!" |
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