Attempt on journalist Kosta Koshty committed in South Ossetia

On December 15, in the city of Tskhinval, an attempt was made on the life of Kosta Koshty, chairman of the human rights NGO "Law is above Power", director of the South-Ossetian independent TV Company "Nog Bon" and director of the IA OSinform. It has become known today to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. Mr Koshty is also the master of information-analytical programmes "Nabat" (Alarm) and "Circle of Provocations".

Starting to open the gate of his garage, Kosta Koshty was lucky to notice a wire on the gate and stopped to open the door. The invited sappers found an RGD-5 grenade, to the lock pin of which the wire was connected.

"Explosives don't appear at the door just by occasion. It means that we work in the right way and need to work still stronger," Mr Koshty gave his comments on the incident. "If everyone works this way, they won't kill all of us. I have no personal enemies, and those whom I have are connected with my work."

According to Kosta Koshty, he received threats more than once. Last time, an unknown person called him up and promised a soon execution for his activities.

People in South Ossetia think that the Georgian party could be the initiator of the attempt.

On November 25, 2005, when speaking to the Georgian TV Channel "Rustavi-2", Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia Vano Merabishvili declared that he would guarantee physical destruction of a number of South Ossetian officials. In that year Oleg Alborov, Chairman of the Security Board was killed (at an attempt to open the gate of his garage, he was blown up by a grenade), and an attempt was made on the life of Baly Bestauty, commander of a special detachment, during which two teenagers were occasionally killed.