Abkhaz leader stands up for opposition figures facing Russian criminal case
Abkhazia’s president defends opposition figures
“No citizen of Abkhazia will ever be handed over to a foreign state, full stop.”
With this statement, Abkhazian president Badra Gunba came to the defence of three opposition figures against whom Russia has opened a criminal case on charges of armed robbery.
According to the Russian version of events, Abkhazian MP Kan Kvarchia and two other opposition members — Eshsou Kakalya and Khyna Dumaа — allegedly carried out a robbery attack on three Russian nationals.
The victims are not named, but it is clear they were Russian political strategists who were working illegally for pro-government candidates during Abkhazia’s recent municipal elections. The opposition figures tried to expose the “undocumented” political consultants, but now find themselves accused and placed on Russia’s wanted list.
“In accordance with one of the fundamental principles enshrined in the Constitution of our country, citizens of the Republic of Abkhazia cannot be handed over to another state for criminal prosecution, regardless of the crime they are suspected of committing.
We proceed from the position that their actions must be investigated by the competent authorities of our country. If they constitute a criminal offense, the case should be heard by the Abkhazian courts under the laws of our state,” said Badra Gunba, making it clear that he does not intend to hand the opposition figures over to Russian law enforcement.
A day before the president, Abkhazia’s attorney general Adgur Agrba made a similar statement.
What happened?
In early November, just days before municipal elections in Abkhazia, a group of opposition activists led by MP Kan Kvarchia raided an office where Russian political strategists Ivan Reva, Pavel Timofeev, and Dmitry Budykin were working.
Under pressure from the activists, Ivan Reva admitted that they were illegally campaigning in favour of pro-government candidates and that he had even hired people to tear down opposition candidates’ campaign posters.
The activists handed the political strategists over to Abkhazia’s State Security Service (SGB) and demanded a full investigation. However, no investigation took place, and the strategists were quickly taken to Russia, where they claimed that the opposition figures had attacked them and seized around two million rubles.
This was received very negatively within Abkhazian society and was seen as blatant Russian interference in the republic’s internal affairs. Most experts cite this context to explain the statements made by President Badra Gunba and the attorney general.
Experts also note that the president’s statement came a day before the congress of the opposition party Forum of National Unity of Abkhazia, suggesting that Gunba may have sought to ease domestic political tensions ahead of the event.
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Abkhazia’s president defends opposition figures
