“The actions of the authorities against oppositionists provoked protests and the blocking of key bridges at the entrances to Sukhumi”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
Omar Smir, Harry Kokaya, Almashana Ardzinba, Ramaz Jopua and Aslan Gvaramiya were detained on November 11 at the entrance to Sukhumi. They were returning from discussing the ratification of the investment agreement with Russia in Goodout. The authorities stated that the activists carried out illegal actions against the member of parliament Almas Aqaba.
The actions of the authorities against oppositionists provoked protests and the blocking of key bridges at the entrances to Sukhumi. After the liberation of the oppositionists, the Humistyn Bridge, through which the republican highway passes, was opened for traffic. Earlier, during the negotiations with the protesters, the member of the public chamber, Sokrat Jinjolia, said that the authorities are ready to release all the detained representatives of the opposition in exchange for the opening of the bridges.
On Tuesday, it became known that the Sukhum City Court received materials regarding three detained opposition activists (Kokaya, Ardzinba, and Jopua). They were accused of petty hooliganism, but the court stopped the proceedings “due to the absence of an administrative offense.” The materials regarding Smyr and Gvaramiy were not submitted to the court.
Former MP Tengiz Agrba was also released from custody on Tuesday, reports D News Abkhazia. Agrba was detained on November 9, and his release was also demanded by the opposition.
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Abkhazia and South Ossetia left Georgia after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. Abkhazia declared independence after the war with Georgia in 1993. At that time, neither Georgia nor other countries of the world recognized the independence of Abkhazia.
In August 2008, a war broke out between Russia and Georgia. Each side shifts the blame for the start of hostilities to the enemy. The five-day war took hundreds of lives and deprived thousands of people of their homes. This war was called the first European war of the 21st century.
After the war in 2008, Russia recognized the “independence” of Georgia’s separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. There are Russian troops and bases in both regions.
In addition to Russia, Sukhumi and Tskhinvali’s decision on independence was also recognized by Nicaragua, Venezuela and Nauru. Tbilisi and Western countries consider these territories to be occupied regions of Georgia.