Mearakishvili asked Kambolov to allow her to return to South Ossetia
Tamara Mearakishvili published an open appeal to the acting president of South Ossetia, Marat Kambolov, in which she asked to ensure her safe return to Leningor and to return her documents. The activist also demanded an internal investigation regarding the actions of the police officers in Leningor for their inaction.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", at the end of January, Tamara Mearakishvili appealed to the first deputy head of the Russian presidential administration, Sergey Kiriyenko, and reported that security forces had come to her parents' home in Leningor, confiscated their phones, and conducted a search.
On December 22, 2025, the Prosecutor General's Office of South Ossetia reported that a criminal case had been initiated against a citizen of Georgia for espionage. According to the security forces, Mearakishvili, while in South Ossetia, collected and transmitted information about strategically important facilities. On December 31, by court decision, Mearakishvili was deported from South Ossetia and delivered to Georgia. The lawyer reported that he was not notified about the deportation of his client. On January 3, Mearakishvili stated that she had not yet decided whether to appeal the court's decision, but wants to return to her homeland. In mid-January, the activist filed a cassation appeal against the decision of the Tskhinval City Court. On January 26, she reported on pressure on her parents.
In her appeal, Mearakishvili assures that she can prove that her criminal case is a political order and a fabrication, therefore she requests an open trial, reports the Telegram channel "Sapa Tskhinval" today.
"If the KGB still insists on accusing me of 'espionage' - I do not intend to hide. I am ready to return and sit on the defendant's bench in Tskhinval, but only under one condition: the process must be completely open, transparent, with direct access for independent lawyers and journalists," the activist wrote.
The activist also wrote a statement reporting the break-in at her apartment and the theft of her keys. The text of the statement addressed to the Minister of Internal Affairs of South Ossetia, Gabaraev, was published by the Telegram channel "Ch'rebaiy Kh'ærgænæg", which has over 17,000 subscribers. By 18:45 Moscow time, the publication had been viewed by more than 2,500 subscribers.
"I appeal to you with a request to take personal control of the investigation into the fact of illegal entry into my home," Tamara Mearakishvili writes in her statement.
According to the activist, on the night of January 29 of this year, unknown individuals entered her apartment in the village of Leningor through the window, stealing the keys to the apartment. This incident greatly worried her for a number of reasons. Her house is located in close proximity to the building of the district police department of Leningor, the territory of which is equipped with surveillance cameras, the recordings of which should have captured the offenders.
Moreover, the deputy head of the local police lives on the second floor of her building, who, according to him, heard no noise. Mearakishvili emphasized that this incident, being a resonant and the only case of illegal entry in Leningor in recent years, for some reason was not included in the weekly incident report of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Mearakishvili claims that to this day, the police have not informed her about the progress of the investigation, the measures taken, or the initiation of a criminal case. Enough time has passed, but there has been no feedback from the local law enforcement agencies.
"Based on the above, guided by the law 'On the Procedure for Considering Citizens' Appeals', I ask you: to instruct an internal investigation regarding the police officers of Leningor for their inaction and concealment of information. Take the investigation of this case under your personal control. Provide me with an official response regarding the progress of the investigation within the time frame established by law," her statement reads.