On November 12, 2009, students of Gori’s 6th School held a protest first in front of their school and later outside the United Nations World Food Programme office in Gori, demanding the release of four teenagers from the village of Tirdznisi who had been detained nine days earlier by Russian soldiers and Ossetian militia.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs announced on November 5 that four students from Tirdznisi village school — 14-year-old Giorgi Romelashvili, 14-year-old Aleko Tsabadze, 16-year-old Viktor Buchukuri, and 17-year-old Levan Khmiadashvili — had gone missing on November 4 in the afternoon near their village. The following day, on November 5, the Ministry of Printing and Information of South Ossetia confirmed that the missing boys were indeed detained and being held in Tskhinvali. The de facto authorities claimed they were arrested in Tskhinvali, allegedly after entering the area from the direction of the village of Frisi. They also charged the teenagers with the illegal crossing of the “state border” and the transportation of explosive devices.

Twenty-two days after their arrest, on November 26, students from Tirdznisi organized their own protest, holding signs that read: “Freedom for the teenagers!” “Give us back our friends!” and “Protect children’s rights!” They called on the de facto authorities in Tskhinvali to release the detained boys and urged international organizations to step up efforts toward their liberation.

The Georgian government also demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the abducted teenagers and appealed to the international community for an urgent response.

Two of the boys — Giorgi Romelashvili and Aleko Tsabadze — were released on December 2, 2009, through the mediation of Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights. On the same day, Tbilisi released five detained Ossetian individuals in exchange. The remaining two boys, 17-year-old Levan Khmiadashvili and 16-year-old Viktor Buchukuri, were freed on December 19, along with Giorgi Arveladze, who had been detained in July at the age of 15. Arveladze’s release came under a “pardon decree” issued by the separatist leader Eduard Kokoity.