Mearakishvili spoke about her life in Georgia

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Tamara Mearakishvili, who asked Marat Kambolov to return to Lenigore, lives in Tbilisi, and her acquaintances collected money for her rented apartment. The activist sells second-hand clothing. The court did not accept the cassation appeal against the decision to expel her from South Ossetia.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on July 2, Tamara Mearakishvili published an open appeal to the acting president of South Ossetia, Marat Kambolov, in which she asked to ensure her safe return to Lenigore and to return her documents. The activist also demanded an internal investigation regarding the police officers of Lenigore for their inaction.

Tamara Mearakishvili commented on July 6 to a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot" about her open appeal to the acting president of South Ossetia, Marat Kambolov. She believes that her arrest was personally initiated by Alan Gagloev, so she hopes for Marat Kambolov.

"I heard that Marat Kambolov is a lawyer. But you don't even need to be a lawyer to understand that this case is 'fabricated'. I hope he will take an interest, take it under personal control, so that I have the opportunity to defend myself," she said.

No one is contacting me, I have no way to find out how the case is progressing

She once again expressed her readiness to return to South Ossetia and sit in the dock if the trial is open. "No one is contacting me, I have no way to find out how the case is progressing. I called the investigator of the KGB who was handling my case, but he blocked me and does not respond. This is a case in which I am accused of espionage, and it neither ends nor is terminated. I have never seen an investigation hiding from the accused; it is usually the other way around," she reported.

The passport of the citizen of South Ossetia, Tamara Mearakishvili, expired in 2020 when she turned 45. At that time, she was also under investigation for defamation. After being acquitted, her expired passport was returned to her. However, a new passport was never issued for various reasons.

The funds that were collected then were enough to rent this apartment, it is paid until September of this year

Now Mearakishvili lives in Tbilisi, in a rented apartment. "After my deportation on December 31 last year, my acquaintances here announced a fundraising for my housing. The funds that were collected then were enough to rent this apartment, it is paid until September of this year," she spoke about her life in Georgia.

Before her arrest in South Ossetia, Tamara ran a second-hand store in Tskhinval. In Tbilisi, she decided to continue this work. "Those from whom I used to buy goods agreed to give me goods on consignment, on credit. I started selling online. I do live broadcasts on TikTok and sell that way. There is a lot of competition in this field in Tbilisi, I understood that. So I decided to attract customers with low prices to sell quickly and make a small profit. It worked," she says.

She also sends many items to Tskhinval, and her social media followers include former clients. "They find ways and organize delivery themselves. Sometimes through taxi drivers who travel through Upper Lars, sometimes through Lenigore when the road is open. There are many more willing, but there is not always an opportunity to send," Mearakishvili reported.

The cassation appeal against the court's decision on her expulsion was never accepted. "I tried to file an appeal immediately after the expulsion through acquaintances, but the court refused, saying that I had to file it personally. Then they said in the court to file it by email, but I was refused that way too," she added.

I no longer have a lawyer there

Lawyer Alan Bazzaev, who defended Tamara Mearakishvili since her arrest on December 22, 2025, passed away two months ago after a long illness. "They tell me: 'Why did you immediately appeal to the UN?' It wasn't immediate. At the local level, all doors were closed for me. They said: 'You must come personally; we do not accept electronically.' I no longer have a lawyer there. That is why I appealed to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights," she explained.

According to Mearakishvili, the lawsuit is directed against the Russian Federation and Georgia. "I was expelled in pajamas and slippers; it was freezing. I had only a piece of paper in my hands, the court's decision. And that's it. The Georgian authorities didn't even inquire where I would go and what I would do. I was taken to a hospital in Gori, and that was all. Since then, not a single representative of the authorities has inquired about my life. It's as if I don't exist," she laments.

Mearakishvili reminded that she is the only resident of Lenigore who did not receive refugee status in Georgia in 2008 and a cottage in Tserovani - a settlement for refugees and does not receive benefits. "I am surprised by one thing. Even when residents of Georgia cross the border because of a cow and are arrested in South Ossetia, and then released the same day or the next day, representatives of the authorities always meet with them. But no one even talked to me on the phone," she lamented.

When I wake up at night, I think that I am home, in Lenigore

She hopes for a response from Marat Kambolov and a positive resolution of the case. "I am very grateful to all my acquaintances and friends from Tskhinval who supported me when I was in prison and continue to support me now. They send gifts here, even Ossetian pies. To this day, when I wake up at night, I think that I am home, in Lenigore. I was deprived of my home because I said that the budget is being robbed. For these statements, one does not get expelled; they are judged if it is proven that it is untrue," Tamara Mearakishvili summarized.

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