MP killed in shooting outside Abkhazian parliament

Another legislator has been injured, according to local media.

A shooting has occurred near the Abkhazian parliament in Sukhum, Sputnik reported on Thursday, citing local authorities. Two MPs, Kan Kvarchia and Vakhtangi Golandzia, have been injured and were taken to hospital. The scene of the incident has been cordoned off.

According to the acting Minister of Internal Affairs Robert Kiut, Golandzia died from injuries sustained shortly after arriving at 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 was MP Adgur Kharazia, who fled the scene. The incident occurred during a committee meeting, after a dispute broke out between lawmakers over a proposed ban on cryptocurrency mining in the republic.

Law enforcement has notified Abkhazia’s acting President Badra Gunba about the incident. Gunba has reportedly visited the Republican Hospital, where the victims were taken.

Police have launched an investigation into the shooting, and have announced an interception plan to capture Kharazia, blocking both exits from the republic. 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 victim, 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.