IDP Found Dead Near Georgian-Abkhaz Contact Line

TBILISI – The body of 45-year refugee Gocha Latsuzbaya has been found near the contact line separating Georgia’s breakaway region Abkhazia from federal authorities.

According to police reports, the cause of death has yet to be determined though the victim’s family suspect foul play.

Latsuzbaya’s family said he had just received his monthly salary of around 300 Georgian lari ($125).

Born in Abkhazia, Latsuzbaya had lived in an IDP settlement in the western Georgian village of Chkaduashi since 1993.
Georgian government forces have fought a brutal war against Russian-backed separatist forces in Abkhazia in 1992-1993. The war left thousands dead and led to the ethnic cleansing of up to 200,000 Georgians.

Abkhazia was recognized, along with South Ossetia, as independent states by Russia following the 2008 Russian-Georgian War.

By Zviad Adzinbaia

Edited by Nicholas Waller