Efforts by the Russian forces and de-facto authorities of the breakaway regions to “securitize” the administrative boundary lines (ABL) between South Ossetia/Tskhinvali Region, Abkhazia, and the rest of the Georgian territory have had a long-lasting negative human rights impact. Amnesty International recognizes that “borderization” negatively affects communities on both sides of the ABL, limiting freedom of movement and liberty, eroding living standards, and entrenching discriminatory attitudes and measures. This current report, however, mostly addresses its effects on the communities in the Georgian controlled territories, as they have been further impacted in recent years by Russian forces taking control of additional land previously administered by the Georgian authorities.
