25 bodies transported from Abkhazia have been buried
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Wednesday, October 18
The bodies of 24 Georgian citizens killed in an armed conflict in 1992-1993 in the breakaway region of Abkhazia were buried with full military honor at Digomi Brothers’ cemetery on October 17. 25 Georgian citizens murdered during the war in 1990s were transferred from Abkhazia this month.
Father of Georgia’s former Defense Minister Irakli Alasania, Mamia Alasania, was buried at Narikala, in the yard of Saint Nicholas Temple.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili addressed the President to grant state awards to the heroes fallen in Abkhazia to defend Georgia’s territorial integrity.
The 25 Georgian citizens transferred to the Georgian side this month were the ones who chose not to leave Sokhumi on the day when the Georgian government lost control over the city on September 27, 1993. Over the years, their graves remained unknown.
On October 17, Georgia’s Refugee Ministry published a list of the heroes.
The war in Georgia’s breakaway region Abkhazia in 1992- 1993 was distinguished with severity. The Abkhaz separatist forces, Russian military forces stationed in and near Abkhazia, and North Caucasian militants fought against the Georgian government. The separatists also received support from Cossack militants hired by the Russian side.
Between 13,000 to 20,000 ethnic Georgians and approximately 3,000 ethnic Abkhaz have been reported killed, more than 250,000 ethnic Georgians became internally displaced or refugees, and about 2,000 are considered missing.
Among the missing, about 1,500 are ethnic Georgians, up to 200 are ethnic Abkhazians and about 100 are ethnic Ossetians.
According to 1989 Census, the ethnic Abkhaz made up of 17.8% percent of Abkhazia’s population, while ethnic Georgians were 45,7%. The most recent census conducted in the breakaway region in 2011 reported that 19.2% of ethnic Georgians reside in Abkhazia.
101 bodies have been identified and transported to Georgia over the course of last year.
