Mearakishvili named the reasons for her expulsion from South Ossetia.

The stated reason for accusing Tamara Mearakishvili of espionage was a video of a cell tower. After her transfer to the hospital, her health condition due to a dry hunger strike was used as a pretext to deport her to Georgia, with the lack of a South Ossetian passport cited as the reason, she reported.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on December 23, 2025, Georgian citizen Tamara Mearakishvili, taken to the South Ossetian Ministry of Internal Affairs detention center, refused food. On December 29, 2025, she also refused medication and water, going on a dry hunger strike. This occurred after a representative of the penitentiary department commented on her refusal to end the hunger strike with the words: "Never mind, one less Georgian." On December 30, Mearakishvili was hospitalized, and formal charges were filed the same day. On December 30, by court order, Mearakishvili was deported from South Ossetia and returned to Georgia. Her lawyer stated that he was not warned of her client's deportation.

Tamar Mearakishvili reported that she was accused of espionage because of a video published on Instagram*, which showed a cell phone tower. She was told that the tower could be used or blown up by the security services, Netgazeti reported today.

According to her, after she began her hunger strike, the prison warden tried to prevent her from carrying out this form of protest. When she was taken to the clinic, she faced threats and pressure to end her hunger strike. She said she responded that she would rather die before the trial than wait years to escape the espionage charge. "They warned me that I would need dialysis, but we don't have the funds for it here, and they could take me to Tbilisi. I told them, 'Let's take me to North Ossetia.'" "There was no road to North Ossetia, so they brought me here," Mearakishvili said.

21:18 10.12.2025

Mearakishvili considers denial of South Ossetian passport pressure

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

According to her, she was sent to court while receiving an IV. "It was December 31st, a day off. They said they would consider my citizenship issue. "I replied that my documents were at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and they wouldn't give them to me," the activist said. In response, she was told that this didn't prove she had documents and that she had been in South Ossetia for years without permission. The court decided to fine her and deport her.

According to her, she was brought to Ergneti and handed over to the Georgian side, and then transferred to the Gori hospital. "I left empty-handed. They took my glasses, didn't take some things from the hospital, and, of course, from the apartment either. A friend asked his family to shelter me for a few days, and they sheltered me on the night of the 31st, the first night, and today I left. Now I'll go somewhere else, then somewhere else, and so on," she said.

Mearakishvili is worried about her future. She is certain that her expulsion from South Ossetia was carried out at the behest of the authorities. "What if I lose everything and am left hanging here by a thread? No one killed me there, the prison conditions were normal – heating, TV, food… At least I was in my neighborhood, and I definitely wouldn't have committed suicide, I would have stopped at some point, or they would have stopped. I wanted to fight from there. They took me away, and that was it, the problem was solved. It didn't take any effort to get me out. Gagloev was waiting for me to leave," Mearakishvili said.

As a reminder, on December 22, 2025, Mearakishvili fell intocommunication. Before this, she told friends that unknown persons had broken into the apartment she rents in Tskhinvali through the balcony. Security forces were previously seen near this apartment, knocking on the door and speaking with neighbors.

On December 24, the Tskhinvali City Court ordered the activist to be remanded in custody. Georgian activists called the case fabricated and called on the country's authorities to intervene on her behalf. Georgian Public Defender Levan Ioseliani and Georgian female politicians also called for Mearakishvili's release.

Mearakishvili is being persecuted for his civic stance, and human rights activists believe this case is damaging the reputation of the South Ossetian authorities.