Abkhazian Passportization & the New Criminal Residents of the Region

Old “passports” are being replaced in occupied Abkhazia once again. This time the reason is regulations, the same ones that triggered the planning of the Mandarin Revolution four years ago and brought Raul Khajimba to power in the occupied territory. At that time, Khajimba tried to convince the local population that the Georgians living in Gali had acquired “Abkhazian citizenship” illegally and that this conscious crime needed fixing. The latest Abkhazian “passportization process” may well evolve into an ethnical confrontation as it concerns not only the Georgians of Gali but also ethnic Russians and Armenians.

The regulation suggests that only those who lived on the territory of Abkhazia between 1994-1999 have the right to obtain an Abkhazian “passport,” the period when the separatists declared independence. Each citizen who claims to have the right to one must prove that they really lived in Abkhazia within the said timeframe. The main discontent has been caused by the fact that the obligation to provide proof does not concern ethnic Abkhazians, as the “legislation” of the separatists says that an ethnic Abkhazian automatically has the right to “citizenship.” Moreover, even those who really lived in the region in that 5-year period and can’t provide proof face serious problems because they can’t bring the documents, since there was no functioning enterprise or educational institute in that period.

The new “passportization campaign” is running with an anti-Georgian motto, but, subtly, it still concerns those ethnic Russians and Armenians who have relocated to the territory of occupied Abkhazia since 2000 and claim ownership rights on real estate there. These are people who illegally started living in the deserted homes of Georgians and continue living there today. There is an opinion that the issue of these houses was raised after Syria recognized “Abkhazian independence” and its citizens decided to immigrate to Abkhazia, but there are other versions as well.

There are open discussions in Sokhumi about the criminal authorities, so-called “thieves in law,” that were expelled or fled from Europe and Russia with plans to reside in Abkhazia. After the criminal syndicate of Russia violated the agreement they had with police the beginning of the World Championship, everyone is convinced that the Kremlin will not forgive the misdoing and will force them to leave the country. For days the criminals, together with police, have been searching for the jewelry worth 800,000 Euros that went missing from the hotel room of famous singer Shakira, wife of the Spanish National Team member Gerard Piqué. Moreover, there have been minor robberies reported by tourists. The initial criminal moratorium suggested that there would be order in the city, in return for which the criminal authorities received the right to attend the football games in VIP lounges at the stadium and inviolability. Russian media suggests that the second wave of cleansing of criminal authorities is already underway.

The fact that the criminal authorities no longer have a resting place in Europe is proven by the special operations that have taken place in different countries. The ultimatum of the new Prime Minister of Armenia has been added to this, Pashinyan demanded the local criminal authorities leave the country by September as in early autumn, Armenia plans to adopt the same law which was adopted by President Saakashvili. People believe that after this campaign, all roads for the criminal authorities will lead to Sokhumi, instead of Rome, Athens or Paris, especially since crime is flourishing on the occupied territory. And the so-called Abkhazian “passportization” is just a doomed attempt to put a stop to this blossoming.

By Zaza Jgarkava