OSCE PA’s Sanchez Amor statement on death of Archil Tatunashvili

COPENHAGEN, 26 February 2017 – Following the recent reported death of Archil Tatunashvili in South Ossetia, Georgia, OSCE PA human rights chair Ignacio Sanchez Amor stressed the need for close cooperation and a transparent investigation into the events leading to the death. Sanchez Amor expressed his sincere condolences to the family of Mr. Tatunashvili.

“The death of Archil Tatunashvili, detained by de facto authorities in Tskhinvali, is a tragedy that I hope will be fully investigated in a transparent manner. I hope that full use will be made of the potential in this regard of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism, co-facilitated by the OSCE and by the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia, which serves as a critical tool for information exchange and following up on incidents that impact the communities," said Sanchez Amor.

“As Chair of the OSCE PA human rights committee, and having personally witnessed the situation along the administrative boundary lines on several occasions, I’ve long been concerned about the lasting negative impacts the conflicts in Georgia have been having on the lives of people in the region. Detentions and the closing of checkpoints along the ABL stand in the way of reconciliation which is so clearly needed, particularly for those impacted on a day-to-day basis. I sincerely hope that all participants will make full use of the Geneva International Discussions and put such episodes in the past.”