A court in Tskhinvali has arrested Tamara Mearakishvili.

The Tskhinvali City Court has ordered a two-month pretrial detention for activist Tamara Mearakishvili. Georgian activists have called the case fabricated and called on the country's authorities to intervene in her defense.

As reported by Kavkazsky Knot, activist Tamara Mearakishvili was found in a Ministry of Internal Affairs detention center after disappearing from her apartment in Tskhinvali, where she refused to eat . She is suspected of espionage, and her detention has attracted the attention of Tbilisi.

The trial was closed, and journalists and the defendant's relatives were not allowed into the courtroom. Her parents were not allowed to see Tamara, whose mother is diabetic. Mearakishvili denies her guilt and continues her hunger strike: she drinks only water when taking her medication, according to Sapa Tskhinval.

According to the publication, the espionage charge stemmed from the fact that security service agents spotted a strategic facility in a photo Tamara Mearakishvili posted on social media.

Mearakishvili's relatives fear for her life, Pirveli TV reported today.

According to Nino Dalakishvili, the government kept Mearakishvili in a "vice" because she was the only one who spoke openly about the problems in the area.

"She is fighting for her right to move. Imagine a person who is in a place surrounded by barbed wire, whose documents are confiscated, whose rights are restricted, even the right to see her child. Tamara is now terribly vulnerable. After so many years of pressure on her, I do not rule out her physical elimination. God forbid, I do not rule out any physical violence against her. In my opinion, her condition is tantamount to torture," said Nino Dalakishvili.

She also calls on the Georgian authorities to raise this issue internationally and demand the release of the Georgian citizen.

"I am absolutely certain "Tamara's life is in danger today. The sole purpose of her detention is simply to silence Tamara," Mearakishvili stated. Former head of the South Ossetian administration, Dmitry Sanakoev, is convinced that the regime wants to intimidate Mearakishvili and therefore arrested her. He spoke about this in an interview with the television channel.

According to Sanakoev, the charges against the activist are fabricated and absurd, and the only reason for this is that Mearakishvili spoke openly about the problems in South Ossetia.

"This woman speaks openly about all the problems. They're just intimidating her now, nothing more. I think the local authorities will release her soon. What should happen? She's been there before, and they tried to arrest this woman before, but nothing came of it," Sanakoev said.

Former Georgian Public Defender Ucha Nanuashvili accuses the current government of inaction in connection with the detention of a Georgian citizen. According to him, the Georgian side should have already made statements on this matter and appealed to international organizations, but this did not happen.

"The state should have informed the public about this; statements would have already been made; international organizations would have been involved in the case and should have loudly declared the violation of the Georgian activist's rights. Until now, we have not heard anything like this. We see that the regime is tired of the criticism that is being heard in the region, especially now, and it is somewhat absurd to accuse Tamara of espionage when she also criticizes the Georgian government, the Georgian side, for its indifference and the ineffective policies it is pursuing, particularly in terms of protecting the rights of the Akhalgori people," says Ucha Nanuashvili.

As a reminder, Tamara Mearakishvili went on a hunger strike in February 2024, demanding that the Prosecutor General of South Ossetia explain the decision to appoint David as the Leningori District Prosecutor. Gurtsiev, who was pursuing her in a criminal libel case. Three days later, Mearakishvili ended her protest, failing to overturn Gurtsiev's appointment.