Abkhazia
MP opens fire in Abkhazian Parliament, killing fellow MP
The shooting roiled an already tense political environment in Abkhazia.
Around 200 people have held a demonstration outside the parliament of Abkhazia demanding the dismissal of Interior Minister Dmitry Dbar over a fight between police and a group of veterans.
On Monday, a group of veterans of the 1992–1993 War in Abkhazia, mostly from the village of Adzyubzha, gathered to demand that Dbar and several of his subordinates face consequences over the confrontation several days earlier.
On 30 September, which is celebrated as victory day in Abkhazia, police officers confronted a group of veterans after MP Garry Kokaya fired a pistol into the air in celebration.
After police arrived on the scene, Kokaya refused to hand over the weapon leading to a fight in which he and seven veterans were injured. According to the head of Aruaa, a group of veterans associated with former President Raul Khadzhimba, those injured were left lying on Sergei Bagapsh Square.
On 2 October, an emergency session of parliament was held to discuss the confrontation and on following day, President Aslan Bzhania returned earlier than scheduled from a trip to Moscow.
At an emergency meeting in the Presidential Administration, Bzhania accepted a proposal from the Interior Minister to be removed from office pending the conclusion of an investigation.
Despite his temporary removal, protesters who gathered on Monday were not satisfied. ‘Let the prosecutor come here and start a criminal case’, one shouted from the crowd.
Addressing the crowd, Givi Dopua, a well-respected veteran from the village of Adzyubzha, said that all those involved in the incident should leave their posts.
Several MPs met with the protesters while protest leaders and President Bzhania also met. Following this, protesters took the decision to wait for the conclusion of the investigation.
A sitting of parliament the same day also decided to wait for the investigation to conclude.
The primary geographic terms used in this article are those of the author’s. For ease of reading, we choose not to use qualifiers such as ‘de facto’, ‘unrecognised’, or ‘partially recognised’ when discussing institutions or political positions within Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and South Ossetia. This does not imply a position on their status.
Related Articles
Abkhazia
Economic crisis looms in Abkhazia amid electricity shortages, ban of mandarins
The fallout from Abkhazia’s political crisis, which led to the downfall of President Aslan Bzhaniya in late November, has since evolved into one that impacts the economy. Over the last week, Abkhazia was hit with twin economic setbacks stemming from Russia, its primary financial benefactor. On 6 December, Russia banned the import of mandarins from Abkhazia, one of its top exports. Following this, electricity shortages, exacerbated by the prevalence of illegal crypto mining and the loss
Abkhazia
Wounded Russian soldiers based in Abkhazia claim they were forcibly sent to Ukraine
According to a video message shared on Telegram on Wednesday, soldiers from the 7th Russian Military Base in Abkhazia are being sent to the frontlines of Ukraine instead of receiving treatment at a military medical commission. The soldiers, who belong to military unit 09332, allege they were transferred to the Afipsky district of Krasnodar Krai where they believed they were to attend a medical commission. ‘They are taken to Luhansk, ostensibly to the rear area, but actually to the dugout
Abkhazia
Abkhazian Parliament rejects Russian investment agreement
The Abkhazian Parliament has voted against the ratification of the agreement on Russian investment in Abkhazia. Twenty-three MPs attended the extraordinary session of parliament on Tuesday, of which 19 voted against the agreement, while three abstained. The session was held after a letter with 19 signatures was sent to the Speaker of Parliament, Lasha Ashuba. According to regulations, an extraordinary parliamentary session must be held if a third of the MPs — or 12 MPs — request such a s
Most Popular
Subscribe to our newsletter
