The people of Akhalgori continue to face restrictions on movement, which are aimed at deepening the humanitarian crisis in the region. Permits to cross the administrative border line are issued without transparent procedures. In some cases, permits to cross the de facto border are issued to individuals close to the local government, which makes freedom of movement a kind of political privilege.

The de facto government stopped issuing travel permits to those who lived in Georgian-controlled territory in January 2025. Against the backdrop of an acute health care crisis in Akhalgori, such restrictions on family ties have significantly affected older persons and vulnerable population living in the town with health problems. In addition, in April, reports were spread about the restriction of movement of employees of de facto budgetary institutions living directly in Akhalgori, which was allegedly initiated by the security services.

In July 2025, the de facto authorities resumed issuing permits after a 6-month pause, although the issuance of permits to persons not living in Akhalgori continued with even more restrictive and inconsistent procedures. The permit is issued for a maximum period of 3 months, however, according to the August data, this situation has become even more difficult and the validity period of the so-called administrative border crossing permit has been reduced from 3 months to 10 days. This restriction has made it practically impossible for Akhalgori residents to contact their relatives and has weakened family ties.

The de facto authorities have also imposed new regulations for car owners, requiring them to change their Georgian license plates to Ossetian ones. Together with the inconsistent permit issuance procedure, these regulations have restricted local residents’ access to their livelihoods.

The de facto authorities do not extend the validity of travel documents (de facto passports and so-called permits) arbitrarily for persons who are unacceptable to them, thus restricting their right to travel. Civil activist Tamar Mearakishvili is one of the victims of these restrictions. In the past, as part of a criminal case launched against her, she was deprived of her de facto passport, which had expired during this period. The case was closed, the expired de facto passport was returned to the owner, but now the de facto authorities refuse to issue new travel documents. The de facto authorities use the issuance of travel permits as a tool of revenge against undesirable persons.   

The decisions of the de facto authorities contradict principles of fundamental human rights and the right to freedom of movement, which further harms the socially and economically vulnerable population.

We call on international organizations, diplomatic missions and relevant stakeholders to immediately discuss the humanitarian and human rights issue within the framework of an appropriate format, while demanding an immediate end to the arbitrary and discriminatory practice of issuing permits.