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| MP killed in shooting outside Abkhazian parliament | MP killed in shooting outside Abkhazian parliament |
| (31 minutes later) | |
| Another legislator has been injured, according to local media | Another legislator has been injured, according to local media |
| A shooting has occurred near the Abkhazian parliament in Sukhum, Sputnik has reported, citing local authorities. According to the report, at least two MPs, Kan Kvarchia and Vakhtangi Golandzia, were injured in the shooting and taken to hospital on Thursday. The scene of the incident has been cordoned off. | |
| According to the acting Minister of Internal Affairs Robert Kiut, Golandzia died from injuries sustained at the hospital. Kvarchia remains in intensive care but his life is not believed to be in danger. | |
| Kiut told Sputnik that the suspect in the shooting is MP Adgur Kharazia, who fled the scene. Investigators are currently working to determine the motives behind the incident. | |
| The scene of the incident has been cordoned off by police. Law enforcement has notified Abkhazia’s acting President Badra Gunba about the shooting incident. Gunba has reportedly visited the Republican Hospital, where the victims of the shooting were taken. | |
| Police have launched an investigation into the shooting, and the search for Kharazia is underway. The MP and former mayor of Sukhum was previously involved in another shooting. In December 2020, Kharazia allegedly shot a business rival in the leg. The person, whose name has not been revealed, survived the attack, and Kharazia was placed under house arrest. | |
| The incident follows public unrest in the Abkhazian capital earlier this fall, which culminated in President Aslan Bzhania’s resignation last month. The unrest began when Abkhazia’s parliament was considering an agreement with Moscow that would have allowed Russian companies to undertake investment projects in the region. The opposition claimed that the deal would have given significant advantages to Russian businesses. | |
| The South Caucasus republic of Abkhazia broke away from Georgia following a war in the early 1990s. It was recognized as an independent state by Russia and several other countries in 2008. Georgia continues to view Abkhazia as part of its sovereign territory. |