Georgian Woman Dies In Russian Custody

Georgians at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport in early October (ITAR-TASS) December 4, 2006 -- A Georgian woman has died of heart failure while awaiting deportation from Russia, the second Georgian national to have died in official hands since Moscow's expulsion campaign began.

A Moscow city police spokesman confirmed that Manana Javelia died on December 2 in a detention center in the Russian capital.

Human rights activists said Javelia, who had been held behind bars for nearly two months, had been denied proper medical care.

Moscow prosecutors said they had opened a probe into the death.

It is the second such death since Moscow began deporting hundreds of Georgians for allegedly breaking immigration rules.

Russia also imposed economic sanctions on Georgia following a spy scandal in September.

(civil.ge, Rustavi 2, AP)

Moscow And Tbilisi

Russian military hardware being withdrawn from a Russian base in Batumi, Georgia, in August 2005 (TASS)

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MORE: Coverage of the situation in Georgian from RFE/RL's Georgian Service and in Russian from RFE/RL's Russian Service.