Chechens who illegally penetrated to Georgia from Ingushetia (Russia) in October were allowed to leave freely the hospital.

Chechens who illegally penetrated to Georgia from Ingushetia (Russia) in October were allowed to leave freely the hospital. The special commission ambassador of the Georgian Foreign Ministry Avtandil Napetvaridze stated on Friday that there were no legal grounds for their detention, "Interfax" news agency reported. A Chechen gang trying to penetrate into Georgia from Ingushetia had been blocked by Georgian military at the Russian-Georgian border on October 25. The gang had been equipped with rifles and machine-guns. There were about 160 fighters at the blocked site. Then it was reported that 25 Chechens laid down arms and surrendered to Georgian authorities. Napetvaridze said that the Chechens were hospitalized because they needed an urgent medical treatment. 23 of them were released on Thursday night. He noted that Georgian law-enforcement bodies were aware of their location and if it would be necessary they could summon them for questioning. The Georgian Prosecutor General's Office launched a criminal case against the trespassers. They face a sentence of 3-years of jail. A few days before representatives of the Georgian intelligence service stated that the trespassers were not Chechen rebels and they could not be handed over to Russia as they would be prosecuted by Georgian law.