A/HRC/36/65 47. It is of great concern that an investigation into the killing of an ethnic Georgian civilian man at the Abkhaz Administrative Boundary Line, Khurcha crossing point, on 19 May 2016, has been suspended.21 According to the information received, the authorities in control in Abkhazia have dropped charges against the alleged perpetrator. In its submission to OHCHR, the Office of the Public Defender observed that this killing, as well as the disappearance of an individual from the village of Kordi, Gori municipality, on 26 May 2016, demonstrate the vulnerability of the communities living along the Administrative Boundary Line. 3. Missing persons 48. The issue of missing persons entails the right of family members to know the fate of missing relatives, including their whereabouts, or, if dead, the circumstances and cause of their death. It also carries the obligation to conduct effective investigations into the circumstances surrounding an enforced disappearance. Ensuring accountability is critical, both as a preventive measure and as a measure of redress. 49. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, 22 over 2,300 persons remain unaccounted for in connection with the conflicts of the 1990s, and 42 as a result of the 2008 conflict.23 50. The International Committee of the Red Cross continues to work on the issue of missing persons, having established two coordination mechanisms in 2010 to clarify the fate of persons missing in relation to the armed conflicts of the 1990s and August 2008 and their aftermath.24 From 2010 to 2016, 249 sets of human remains were thus recovered.25 4. Freedom of movement 51. Freedom of movement is enshrined in article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Restrictions on freedom of movement, including for reasons of security, must be strictly necessary for that purpose, proportionate and non-discriminatory. Freedom of movement is also a prerequisite for the enjoyment of civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. The exercise of some rights, such as the rights to work, health and education, depends to a large extent on the ability to move freely and to choose one’s residence. Thus, restrictions on freedom of movement can lead to severe limitations on various other human rights. 5. Crossing points 52. The closure of two crossing points along the Abkhaz Administrative Boundary Line (i.e. Otobaia-Orsantia and Nabakevi-Khurcha), on 6 March 2017, undermines efforts to uphold freedom of movement as a human right and an important confidence-building measure. 53. On 26 January 2017, in reaction to the announcement of the upcoming closure of these crossing points, the United Nations country team in Georgia underlined that the population affected would find it more difficult to access basic services, such as health care and education, and to participate in economic activities and family and social events across 21 22 23 24 25 10 The victim was shot by an armed man who had arrived from Abkhazia and who retreated to that territory after perpetrating the killing. International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) press release, 3 March 2017, available from https://www.icrc.org/en/document/georgia-abkhazia-more-work-being-done-solve-cases-missingpeople. ICRC press release, 16 December 2016, available from https://www.icrc.org/en/document/georgiasouth-ossetia-tenth-meeting-held-seek-ways-forward-issuemissing-persons-conflicts. ICRC press release, 26 April 2016, available from https://www.icrc.org/en/document/georgiamissing-persons-clarifying-the-fate. ICRC press release, 4 May 2017, available from https://www.icrc.org/en/document/georgia-abkhaziasouth-ossetia-more-30-gravesites-be-excavated-search-missing-people.