Tskhinvali has criticized the section of the Georgian Ombudsman’s report concerning the occupied region of Georgia.
A representative of the de facto Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Tbilisi continues to pursue a “destructive policy” instead of resolving internal problems and protecting the rights of its own citizens.
Tskhinvali believes that the document contains “distorted and untrue information,” noting that such reports by the Public Defender of Georgia are “politicized” and do not reflect an objective picture.
“This is nothing but an attempt to maintain the illusion of its influence and deny the sovereignty of South Ossetia,” the comment by the so-called Ministry of Foreign Affairs reads.
Tskhinvali urged Tbilisi to focus on building constructive relations with neighboring states.
Additionally, on June 23, 2026, Georgian Ombudsman Levan Ioseliani presented the 2025 human rights report to parliament, focusing on the situation in the conflict zones. He noted the ongoing “borderization” and violations of the population’s rights along the occupation line: 32 people were detained in the Tskhinvali region last year, and 40 in Abkhazia.
Among the key issues, Ioseliani highlighted restrictions on native-language education and deteriorating access to healthcare and infrastructure in the occupied territories.
The Ombudsman noted that under these conditions, the “referral assistance” program plays an important role, through which 1,406 people from the occupied territories received treatment in government-controlled territory in 2025 (1,131 from Abkhazia and 260 from the Tskhinvali region).
