The Council of Europe expressed its deep concern over “prolonged detention” of Georgian teenagers, who remain held in Tskhinvali since November 4.

“Nowhere in Europe should teenagers be detained as a result of political and security issues,” Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland and Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, Samuel Žbogar said in a joint statement issued on November 16.

“As Secretary General and Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, we call for their immediate release,” the statement reads.

The Georgian Justice Ministry said on Novemeber 17 that it had sent a complaint about the detention of the four teenagers to the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights. 

Georgian Deputy Justice Minister Tina Burjaliani said that Georgia requests ECHR “to oblige the Russian Federation to immediately and unconditionally release four Georgian teenagers, who remain held for already two weeks.”