User:Nanobear~enwiki/Georgian atrocities against the South Ossetian people

Atrocities against the South Ossetian people have been conducted by Georgian forces in several instances. The Republic of South Ossetia declared independence from Georgian rule on 20 September, 1990, causing Georgia to launch a military attack as a retaliation. Several atrocities were conducted by Georgia during the war, including ethnic cleansing of South Ossetians and destruction of South Ossetian villages. In 2004 Georgia again tried to retake South Ossetia by force, but did not succeed. On 7 August 2008, Georgia launched a massive attack, that killed many civilians and resulted in the destruction of the South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali. This led to the 2008 South Ossetia war, in which Georgia tried to reconquer South Ossetia, kill Ossetians and destroy their entire cultural heritage.

1991-1992 South Ossetia war
South Ossetia declared indepence from Georgian rule on 20 September, 1990. On 5 January, 1991, Georgia launched the 1991–1992 South Ossetia War to reconquer the territory.

According to Human Rights Watch, during the war

"Georgian paramilitary groups committed acts of violence against Ossetian civilians within South Ossetia that were motivated by the desire to expel Ossetians and reclaim villages for Georgia, and by sheer revenge against the Ossetian people."

Between 40,000 and 100,000 Ossetians from South Ossetia and Georgia fled to North Ossetia during the war. Between 60 and 100 villages were burned down, destroyed by Georgian forces or otherwise abandoned. Several villages were ethnically cleansed by Georgian forces.

In June, 1991, Georgian National Guard burned and destroyed up to 80% percent of dwellings in the South Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali.

2008 South Ossetia war
In early August, 2008, Georgia shelled South Ossetia, killing many civilians. On 7 August, after weeks of preparations and massing of troops on the South Ossetian border, Georgia launched a massive attack against South Ossetia. The attack was codenamed Operation Clean Field. It began with an extensive artillery onslaught by Georgian Grad rocket launchers. OSCE monitors in Tskhinvali confirmed that shells were falling on the city every 15-20 seconds. According to OSCE commander Ryan Grist, ''the [Georgian] attack was completely indiscriminate and disproportionate to any, if indeed there had been any, provocation. The attack was clearly, in my mind, an indiscriminate attack on the town, as a town.'' The Grad rocket launcher is an indiscriminate weapon, and should not be used anywhere near civilians. The Georgians also used cluster munitions, which are forbidden under international rules. Over 360 South Ossetian civilians were killed in the Georgian attack, most of them innocent women and elderly people. 18 Russian peacekeepers were also murdered. Tskhinvali was devastated after the attack. Russian and South Ossetian governments said that the Georgian attack amounted to genocide against the South Ossetian people. According to Mexican war correspondent Raul Fajardo, the Georgian attack was aimed not only at killing Ossetians, but also at destroying the entire cultural heritage of South Ossetia.

According to Human rights watch, Georgian forces used indiscriminate force during their attack on South Ossetia "with blatant disregard for the safety of civilians." The Georgians directed tank and machine gun fire at buildings in Tskhinvali, including at apartment buildings and basements where civilians sheltered. The Georgian military used Grad multiple rocket launchers, an indiscriminate weapon, to destroy targets situated in civilian areas.