In 2016, the de facto government of Abkhazia has repeatedly stated that it planned to abolish checkpoints along the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) with Abkhazia, except for the checkpoint on the Enguri river. The Shamgona-Tagiloni checkpoint, one out of 5 checkpoints, was abolished in April 2016. According to the reports spread on December 29, the Khurcha-Nabakevi and Orsantia-Otobaia checkpoints will be dismentled as well. Instead, the de facto authorities offer a bus service to the Enguri bridge to the residents of the Gali district.[1]

According to the Public Defender, the abovementioned decision is yet another step backwards in terms of respect for and protection of the rights of the local population. The closure of the checkpoint restricts the freedom of movement of the Gali population, creates unjustified obstacles to their health, education, trade, maintenance of family ties, etc.

In addition to the fact that the so-called lower and upper zone villages of the Gali district are quite far from the Enguri bridge, the poor infrastructure will create additional problems. Accordingly, access to the Enguri bridge will require more time and finances, which will lead to the isolation of the Gali population. Noteworthy, that the Enguri checkpoint is already overcrowded and people wait for hours to cross the checkpoint. It is likely that the abolition of other checkpoints will further overcrowd the Enguri pass.

It should be underlined that the checkpoints are used by school children and patients. Therefore, the decision mentioned above will violate their right to education and health. In addition, the number of illegal detentions will likely increase due to the fact that the locals will continue to use the nearby checkpoints or bypass routes.

The problems of the local population are further aggravated by the restrictions on the freedom of movement within the Gali district. At the newly opened checkpoints in the Gali villages, the Russian servicemen check the documents of locals (form N 9 or Abkhazian passports) who move from one village to another. For example, a resident of the so-called Upper Gali cannot move to the Lower zone without a special permit. The same rule applies to the residents of the lower zone. As for the population of the rest of Abkhazia, they will not be able to enter the so-called border zone, namely the Gali villages, without special permits. Such a regime may create problems for people who have no proper documents.

The Public Defender has always been raising the issue of freedom of movement in his annual and special reports and public statements. He has been repeatedly appealing to the parties to agree on the mode of movement that would not violate human dignity and human rights. Unfortunately, freedom of movement is being considered not in the humanitarian, but in politicized context.

In general, the rights of the Gali population have been regularly violated for years and the responsibility lies both on the de-facto government and the Russian Federation, a country effectively controlling Abkhazia.

The Public Defender appeals to the parties participating in the Geneva international talks to reconsider their positions, not to take decisions which can further aggravate the situation of the conflict-affected population and escalate the already tense relations.