Ossetian activist Tamara Mearakishvili stated that she was persecuted in South Ossetia on charges of espionage for posting a photo on Instagram of a cell phone tower. According to the prosecution, the tower could have been used by intelligence agencies or could have been a target for them.

Mearakishvili said that after her arrest and the beginning of her hunger strike, the prison warden tried to stop her protest. At the clinic where she was taken, she faced threats and attempts to dissuade her from continuing her hunger strike. However, according to Mearakishvili, she would rather die awaiting trial than spend years fighting false charges of espionage.

The activist reported that she was taken to the village of Ergneti and handed over to the Georgian side, after which, at the request of the authorities, she was placed in a hospital in Gori.

As a reminder, contact with the ethnic Georgian Mearakishvili was lost on December 22, 2025. Shortly before, she informed friends that unknown individuals had broken into her apartment in Tskhinvali through the balcony. Security forces had previously been seen near the apartment, questioning neighbors and knocking on the door.

On December 24, the Tskhinvali City Court remanded Mearakishvili in custody. Georgian activists called the case fabricated and called on the Georgian authorities to intervene on her behalf. Shortly before her arrest, Tamara Mearakishvili, who had been demanding a meeting with South Ossetian President Alan Gagloev, announced a solo picket. The activist was charged with "espionage," for which she faced 10 to 20 years in prison.