Abkhazia bans property inheritance for Georgians who fought in the 1990s Georgian-Abkhaz war

Ban on Georgians claiming property in Abkhazia

Abkhazia has passed a law stating that Georgian citizens who participated in the Georgian-Abkhaz war of 1992-93, as well as their family members, are not allowed to inherit property in Abkhazia.

It is reported that this measure aims to close “all loopholes for the republic’s adversaries.”

Abkhazia: ‘war trophy’ apartments – will they be returned to their owners?

Many are unable to get back their apartments even after court, and soon, the suits of Georgians won’t even be examined

As a result of the Georgian-Abkhaz war of 1992-1993, more than 200,000 ethnic Georgians living in Abkhazia at the time were forced to leave. Their property was nationalized by the Abkhaz side and then redistributed to Abkhaz citizens who were left homeless or in need of housing due to the war.

Despite this, new owners unofficially paid monetary compensation to some of the former owners for part of the property. Some Georgians also re-registered their housing under close relatives of different ethnicities.

Although the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict remains unresolved, there have been several cases where Georgian citizens managed to defend their rights to lost property in Abkhaz courts.

In addition, many lawsuits have been filed – and partially won – in Russian courts seeking the return of property by individuals who are currently Russian citizens.

Abandoned Georgian villages in Abkhazia – a video

People left the villages when the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict broke out in the early 1990s. Most of these villages still remain almost completely abandoned

The new law, which expands the list of individuals with restricted inheritance rights, is aimed at countering this trend.

According to the amendments introduced to the Civil Code, foreign citizens, stateless persons, and their family members cannot inherit property in Abkhazia if they:

• “Fought and/or continue to fight against the independence and state sovereignty of the Republic of Abkhazia”;
• “Planned, prepared, or initiated war against the Republic of Abkhazia”;
• “Participated in Georgian armed formations during the occupation of Abkhazia by the State Council of Georgia between August 14, 1992, and September 30, 1993, or otherwise assisted the occupation regime of the Georgian State Council, including the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia and its structures, or took part in military, combat, or police actions against the Republic of Abkhazia.”

Toponyms and terminology used in the article, and views, opinions and strategies expressed in it do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of JAMnews or any employees thereof. JAMnews reserves the right to remove comments it considers to be offensive, inflammatory, threatening, or otherwise unacceptable.

News in Abkhazia

News in Georgia