Political repression continues in the de facto republic of South Ossetia. On July 17, 2025, the house of the parents of politician Irtok Dudayev, one of the leading figures and the leader of a political party, was searched without warning or a search warrant. Locals viewed this incident as the start of a campaign of intimidation by the de facto government against critical people and opposition politicians, as well as an attempt to sow fear in society.

The repressive policy of the de facto government emphasizes the absence of the rule of law in the region and the authoritarian methods of governance. Local society, on various social media channels, refers to the state security committee (KGB) as a “punitive instrument” of de facto President Alan Gagloev.

Since January 2025, there have been an increase in cases of physical attacks on opposition representatives, including a journalist and a member of an opposition party, and criminal divisions within the so-called government circles.

In June 2025, de facto president Alan Gagloev dismissed the Chairman of the state security committee, a Russian staff, Oleg Shirin. This move was described as a “structural purge” and an attempt to fill the security services with people loyal to him.

The de facto administration, which came to power promising to uphold the “law and legal framework,” is now openly using intimidation and repression to silence critical individuals.

We call on international human rights organizations, diplomatic missions, and relevant international bodies to respond promptly and condemn gross violations of human rights, as well as to discuss the issues of overcoming the region's criminogenic crisis in a negotiation format.