Ethnic cleansing of Georgians in Sukhumi
Part of War in Abkhazia (1992–1993) | |
Date | 27 September 1993 |
---|---|
Location | Sukhumi, Abkhazia, Georgia |
Coordinates | 43°00′12″N 41°00′55″E / 43.00333°N 41.01528°E |
Motive | Anti-Georgian sentiment |
Target | Georgian population of Sukhumi, Georgian administration of Abkhazia |
Perpetrator | |
Outcome | Ethnic cleansing of the Georgian population |
Deaths | 1,000 (Georgian estimate)[1] |
Displaced | 50,000[2] |
The Sukhumi massacre took place on 27 September 1993, during and after the fall of
campaign carried out by the separatists.Events
On 27 September 1993, separatist forces violated the ceasefire initiated by the
Placing their hopes on the ceasefire, a large number of civilians remained in the city. The separatists and their allies started to sweep through the streets of Sukhumi rounding up all civilians that they found. Men, women and children were executed in the streets, on the roads and inside their own apartments, houses and back yards. According to the witnesses, many people became objects of torture, and some were forced to watch as their own family members were killed—children in front of their parents, and parents in front of their children.[4]
When Abkhaz entered my house, they took me and my seven year old son outside. After forcing us to kneel, they took my son and shot him right in front of me. After they grabbed me by hair and took me to the nearby well. An Abkhaz soldier forced me to look down that well; there I saw three younger man and couple of elderly woman who were standing soaking in water naked. They were screaming and crying while Abkhaz were dumping dead corpses on them. After that, they threw a grenade there and placed more people inside. I was forced again to kneel in front of the dead corpses. One of the soldiers took his knife and took the eye out from one of the dead near me. Then he started to rub my lips and face with that decapitated eye. I could not take it any longer and fainted. They left me there in a pile of corpses.[5]
The massacres occurred in the city park, in front of the governmental building, in schools and hospitals. Almost all members of the Abkhaz government (those who refused to leave the city) — Zhiuli Shartava, Guram Gabiskiria, Alexander Berulava, Mamia Alasania, and Raul Eshba — were captured and executed.[6]
The 1994 U.S. State Department Country Reports also describes scenes of massive human rights abuse:
The [Abkhaz] separatist forces committed widespread atrocities against the Georgian civilian population, killing many women, children, and elderly, capturing some as hostages and torturing others ... they also killed large numbers of Georgian civilians who remained behind in Abkhaz-seized territory.[7]
The separatists launched a reign of terror against the majority Georgian population, although other nationalities also suffered. Chechens and other North Caucasians from the Russian Federation reportedly joined local Abkhaz troops in the commission of atrocities. ... Those fleeing Abkhazia made highly credible claims of atrocities, including the killing of civilians without regard for age or sex. Corpses recovered from Abkhaz-held territory showed signs of extensive torture. (The evidence available to Human Rights Watch supports the U.S. State Department's findings.)[7]
Aftermath
Perpetrators
There are a number of conflicting claims as to whether the massacre was conducted by Abkhaz militias or those of their North Caucasian allies. Allegedly, the commander of the separatist forces, partly responsible for the massacre was the deputy defence minister and "hero" of Abkhazia
See also
- Ethnic cleansing of Georgians in Abkhazia
- Georgian-Abkhaz conflict
- Abkhazia
- United Nations resolutions on Abkhazia
Notes
- ^ О выявленных фактах политики этнической чистки/геноцида, проводимой на территории Абхазии, Грузия, и необходимости передачи виновных лиц в руки правосудия в соответствии с международными принципами надлежащего судебного процесса. заключение Гос. комис. Грузии по установлению фактов политики этнич. чистки-геноцида, проводимой в отношении груз. населения Абхазии, Грузия, и передаче материалов в Междунар. трибунал (in Russian). О-во грузин в России. 1997.
- ^ Human Rights Watch, Georgia/Abkhazia: Violations of the Laws of War and Russia's Role in the Conflict, March 1995
- ^ "Siege of Sukhumi", Time, October 4, 1993.
- ^ a b Chervonnaia, Svetlana Mikhailovna. Conflict in the Caucasus: Georgia, Abkhazia, and the Russian Shadow. Gothic Image Publications, 1994.
- ^ Chervonnaia, Svetlana Mikhailovna. Conflict in the Caucasus: Georgia, Abkhazia, and the Russian Shadow. p 87, Fall of Gagra.
- ^ Chervonnaia, Svetlana Mikhailovna. Conflict in the Caucasus: Georgia, Abkhazia, and the Russian Shadow. Gothic Image Publications, 1994
- ^ a b .S. State Department, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1993, February 1994,
- ISBN 1-57488-404-2.
sukhumi.
- ^ U.S. State Department, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1993, February 1994, pp. 877, 881.
- British Broadcasting Corporation. 12 October 2001. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
- ISBN 1-85743-058-1.
- ISBN 978-0-415-43600-7.
- ISBN 0-691-01690-9.
chechen militants abkhazia first chechen war.
- ^ Anatoly Gordienko Basaev's comrades-in-arms go to Abkhazia, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, 2004
- ^ Shamil Basaev – the No 1 enemy of Russia, BBC, 2002
- ^ Human Rights Watch interviews, August 1993.
- ^ Andersen, Andrew (October 2001). "Russia Versus Georgia: One Undeclared War in the Caucasus". [ISBN missing]
Bibliography
- Chervonnaia, Svetlana Mikhailovna. Conflict in the Caucasus: Georgia, Abkhazia, and the Russian Shadow. Gothic Image Publications, 1994.
- Human Rights Watch. "Georgia/Abkhazia: Violations of the Laws of War and Russia's Role in the Conflict". Published on hrw.org, March 1995.
- Lynch, Dov. The Conflict in Abkhazia: Dilemmas in Russian 'Peacekeeping' Policy. Royal Institute of International Affairs, February 1998.
- Marshania L. Tragedy of Abkhazia Moscow, 1996
- White Book of Abkhazia. 1992–1993 Documents, Materials, Evidences. Moscow, 1993.
- Derluguian, Georgi M., The Tale of Two Resorts: Abkhazia and Ajaria Before and Since the Soviet Collapse, in Beverly Crawford and Ronnie D Lipschutz (eds.), "The Myth of 'Ethnic Conflict': Politics, Economics, and Cultural Violence" (Berkeley: University of California, 1998). p. 263
External links
- Violations of the laws of war and Russia's role in the conflict report by Human Rights Watch
- Documented accounts of ethnic cleansing of Georgians in Abkhazia (Russian)
- Video file, capture of Zhuili Shartava, Guram Gabiskiria, Raul Eshba, etc and their execution (right-click to open file)
- Video file, ethnic cleansing of Georgians in Abkhazia (right-click to open file)
- Sukhumi 27.09.93 (Video) (wmv)