DECISION TAKEN BY THE 15TH (1) SESSION OF THE  COUNCIL  OF THE PEOPLE’S DEPUTIES OF THE SOUTH OSSETIAN SOVIET DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC on the letter of 9th session of the South Ossetian oblast Council of 6 May 1989 regarding the condemnation of the authors of “The Letter to Abkhaz Friends”

As it is known, the 9th session of the South Ossetian oblast council of the 20th convocation on 6 May 1989 sent a letter to the Supreme Council of the Georgian SSR condemning the authors of “The Letter to Abkhaz Friends” where the authors expressed their concern with regard of informal organizations of Georgia, which bred the tense in Abkhazia.  The same letter also voiced certain dismay about possible inter-ethnic conflict in the Abkhaz SSR.

On the basis of the declaration of the 9th session, some of the authors of the letter were brought to the criminal liability under Article 74 of the Criminal Code of Georgia.

Inter-regional group of Deputies of the 15th session of the People’s Deputies of the South Ossetian Democratic Republic expressed its protest against this decision on 16 October 1990 and demanded to re-consider this issue.

The eminent lawyers learnt the text of the letter in 1989 and found nothing to be used for criminal prosecution against the authors.  All the more, the prognosis of the letter came true.

Proceeding from the aforementioned, the 15th session of the People’s Deputies of the South Ossetian Democratic Republic decides:

1. To consider unlawful the criminal prosecution against the authors of the “Abkhaz Letter” of A. Parastaev, A. Tskhovrebov, A. Chochiev.

2. To file the motion to the Prosecutor’s office of the South Ossetian Democratic Republic on termination of the criminal prosecution against A. Parastaev, A. Tskhovrebov, A. Chochiev.

3.  To file the motion to the Prosecutor’s Office of the South Ossetian democratic Republic to bring to justice those Deputies of 9th session that cast aspersions on the authors of the letter.

4. To publish in the Oblast newspaper the Decree adopted by the 15th Session.

To forward the copy to the Prosecutor’s Office of the Georgian SSR.

5. To forward the copy of the decree together with the text of “Abkhaz Letter” to the Prosecutor’s Office of the USSR.

Chairman of the Interim Executive Committee

of the Democratic Republic of South Ossetia T. Kulumbegov

Secretary of the Interim Executive Committee

of the Democratic Republic of South Ossetia  I. Kokoev

16 October 1990

(Newspaper “Sovetskaia Ossetia”, #199, 23 October 1990)