Friends have lost contact with activist Tamara Mearakishvili.

Civil activist Tamara Mearakishvili told friends by phone that unknown individuals had broken into her apartment in Tskhinvali through the balcony. After this, contact with her was lost, a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

As "Caucasian Knot" reported, this evening, security forces were present outside the apartment in Tskhinvali where civil activist Tamara Mearakishvili lives for a long time. They knocked on the door and spoke with neighbors. Earlier today, Mearakishvili announced on her social media page that she would be going on a hunger strike starting tomorrow in protest against "the arbitrary rule of the authorities, their complete disregard for the civil service law, labor legislation, and their rights."

Tamara Mearakishvili was alone in her second-floor apartment when unknown individuals entered through the balcony. The activist managed to inform her friends.

She last contacted them at approximately 8:00 PM. Contact with her has been lost, her friends told a Caucasian Knot correspondent. According to them, the apartment building where Mearakishvili rents an apartment is currently cordoned off by security forces. Friends of the activist suspect that a search is being conducted at the apartment.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," South Ossetian activist Tamara Mearakishvili has been unable to obtain a new passport for over a year, which has prevented her from traveling even within the republic and from finding employment. She believes the authorities' actions are related to her critical posts on social media.

In February 2024, journalist and activist Tamara Mearakishvili went on a hunger strike, demanding that the South Ossetian Prosecutor General explain his decision to appoint David Gurtsiev as Leningor District Prosecutor, who had prosecuted her in a criminal libel case. By February 13, Mearakishvili said, the president and the Prosecutor General had not responded to her appeals. Three days later, Mearakishlivi ended her hunger strike, failing to overturn the decision to appoint David Gurtsiev as district prosecutor.

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