DECISION OF THE SESSION OF THE COUNCIL OF PEOPLE’S DEPUTIES OF THE SOUTH OSSETIAN AUTONOMOUS OBLAST on annulment of the Decision of the Assembly of the People’s deputies of all levels held on 4 May 1991

The South Ossetian Soviet Democratic Republic was proclaimed at the 14^th Session of the Oblast Council of People’s Deputies on 20 September 1990.

Elections of the Supreme Council of the Republic of South Ossetia was held on 9 December 1990 attended by the experts and observers from the former autonomous entities of the USSR, therefore, the nation-wide character and the legality of the elections were confirmed.

On 11 December 1990 the Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia annulled the results of the election, abolished the South Ossetian autonomous oblast and announced the state of emergency in Tskhinvali and in Java District (the territories where the population of ethnic origin prevailed).

On January 6 1991 the considerable military forces of Georgia entered Tskhinvali and other districts of the oblast. They provoked execution of peaceful citizens of the city. The Oblast was subjected to the entire blockade.

Under the Decree of the President of the USSR of 7 January 1991 the law of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia “On Abolishing the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast” was found anti-Constitutional and not subject of implementation. However, the authorities of the Republic of Georgia fully ignored the Decree of the President of the USSR, assessing the requirements of the Decree as involvement into the domestic affairs of “the sovereign republic”.

As a result of decisive position and the instruction of the former chairman of the Supreme Council of the USSR A.I. Loukyanov and under the pressure of the group of deputies “Soyuz”, on 4 May 1991 the session of the Council of people’s deputies of South Ossetia of all levels annulled the decision of the session of the Oblast Council of people’s deputies of 20 September 1990 on recognition of the South Ossetian Republic, deciding to go back to the previous structures of the oblast power.

The decision of the session of the Council of people’s deputies of all levels of 4 May 1991 shall be considered as null and void, as adopted by the legally invalid body.

On the basis of the aforementioned, the session of the Council of people’s deputies of South Ossetia decides:

1. To declare null and void the decision of the Session of the Council of people’s deputies of all levels of 4 May 1991, as adopted by the legally invalid power.

2. To consider the Supreme Council of the Republic of South Ossetia as a supreme body of the state power elected on 9 December 1990 as a result of nation-wide voting.

Chairman of the Session A. Parasataev

Secretary of the Session B. Plieva

1 September 1991

(Conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Documents 1989-2006 (Supplement to “Kavkazskie Sborniki”, edition #1). Collected and commented by M. A. Volkhonski, B. A. Zakharov, N. Y. Silaev. – Moscow, 2008, p. 200-202/in Russian)