dvani_razor_wire

Razor wire in Dvani. (Interpressnews.)

TBILISI, DFWatch–A human rights organization in Georgia has taken Russia to the European Court of Human Rights on behalf of 19 people living on the border with the breakaway territory South Ossetia.

The case concerns people living in the village Dvani, southwest of Tskhinvali, whose properties were separated because of fences put up by Russian soldiers to enforce a de facto border there.

About 50 families lost their agricultural lands when Russian soldiers installed between 400 and 600 meters of barbed wire, Georgian Young Lawyer’s Association (GYLA) says.

If the process continues, three more families will lose their houses, according to the group.

GYLA argues that this is a violation of rights under the European Convention on Human Rights, specifically for violation of right to use own property, respecting living place and freedom of movement.

23 villages have so far been affected by the installing of barbed wire and fences, a process which started in 2011 but grew in extent in February, 2013.