Georgia's Public Defender says 3,664 people have been illegally detained by Russian occupation forces since the 2008 Russia-Georgia war, underscoring that the conflict's human rights consequences continue to affect residents of the occupied territories and communities living along the occupation line nearly two decades later.
In a statement marking the 18th anniversary of the August 2008 war, the Ombudsman's Office also referred to the European Court of Human Rights' June 23, 2026 ruling, which held Russia responsible for the murder and torture of Georgian serviceman Giorgi Antsukhelidze and other Georgian soldiers, describing the judgment as further evidence of violations of the right to life and ongoing impunity.
According to official data cited by the Public Defender, 2,062 people were detained in the direction of occupied Abkhazia and 1,602 near the occupied Tskhinvali region between 2008 and 2026. As of 2026, 11 Georgian citizens remain in unlawful detention in the occupied Tskhinvali region, while six remain detained in occupied Abkhazia.
The Ombudsman also highlighted the continued erosion of education rights in the occupied territories, noting that Georgian-language instruction has been completely banned in primary schools in Gali and Akhalgori, where Georgian is now taught only as a foreign language and literature subject. The statement says students and teachers continue to face ethnic discrimination and psychological pressure, stressing the need for international human rights monitoring missions to be granted access to the occupied regions.
