Satellite Imagery Reveals Torching & Destruction Of Georgian Villages

From Human Rights Watch comes news of recent satellite images released by the UN program UNOSAT that confirm the widespread torching of ethnic Georgian villages inside South Ossetia. Detailed analysis of the damage depicted in five ethnic Georgian villages shows the destruction of these villages around the South Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali, was caused by intentional burning and not armed combat. The new satellite images, taken by a commercial satellite on August 19th, were analyzed by experts of the Geneva-based UNOSAT program, which is part of the UN Institute for Training and Research and produces satellite-derived mapping in support of UN agencies and the international humanitarian community. UNOSAT experts identified visible structures on the images that were likely to have been either destroyed or severely damaged. The expert analysis indicates clear patterns of destruction that are consistent with the evidence gathered by Human Rights Watch researchers working in the region. Among the images publicly available from the UNOSAT website is a map marking satellite-detected active fire locations in the ethnic Georgian villages around Tskhinvali.

Select this image for the map download…

The map shows active fires in the ethnic Georgian villages on August 10, 12, 13, 17, 19 and 22, well after active hostilities ended in the area on August 10. On these dates, the lack of cloud cover allowed the satellites to view those locations. UNOSAT has also released a set of six high-resolution satellite images of the enclave of ethnic Georgian villages stretching nine kilometers north from Tskhinvali, showing that the majority of them have been destroyed. Human Rights Watch researchers spoke with several members of the Ossetian militias who openly admitted that the houses were being burned by their associates, explaining that the objective was to ensure that ethnic Georgians would not have the houses to return to — satellite imagery confirms the zeal with which this destruction is being undertaken. To see a photo study of the Georgian conflict, select this direct link…

Select this webpage image for additional village damage maps…