Zhiuli Shartava
Encyclopedia
Zhiuli Shartava (March 7, 1944 – September 27, 1993) was a Georgian
politician
and the Head of the Council of Ministers of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia who was killed by Abkhaz
militants during the ethnic cleansing of Georgians in Abkhazia
in 1993.
Shartava was born on 7 March 1944 in Sukhumi
, Abkhaz ASSR. An engineer by education, he was elected to the Parliament of Georgia
in 1992. Shartava chaired the legal Council of Ministers and the Council of Self-Defence of Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia during the Georgian-Abkhazian War in 1993. When the city of Sukhumi
fell to the Russia
n-supported separatist forces on September 27, 1993, Shartava with other members of the Abkhaz Government (Guram Gabiskiria
, Raul Eshba
, Mamia Alasania
, Sumbat Saakian
, Misha Kokaia and others) refused to flee and were captured by the Abkhaz
militants. Initially they were promised safety, however Shartava and others from the Council of Ministers were killed by the militants and according to UN report Shartava was excessively tortured.
In 2005, American journalist Malcolm Linton displayed his photo materials taken during the war in Abkhazia at the art gallery in Tbilisi, where Shartavas body was identified among the pile of corpses, clearly visible on one of the photographs. On video materials taken during the capture of Sukhumi by the militants, Shartava is carried out from the Government building and physically assaulted, after which he was forced into the van and taken to the outskirts of Sukhumi where he was killed with other Georgian and Abkhaz members of the government and their staff. Shartava's body was handed over to the Georgian side and was buried in the western Georgian city of Senaki
. In 1994, Shartava was officially honored as the National Hero of Georgia posthumously in 2004.
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and the Head of the Council of Ministers of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia who was killed by Abkhaz
Abkhaz people
The Abkhaz or Abkhazians are a Caucasian ethnic group, mainly living in Abkhazia, a disputed region on the Black Sea coast. A large Abkhazian diaspora population resides in Turkey, the origins of which lie in the emigration from the Caucasus in the late 19th century known as Muhajirism...
militants during the ethnic cleansing of Georgians in Abkhazia
Ethnic cleansing of Georgians in Abkhazia
The Ethnic Cleansing of Georgians in Abkhazia, also known as the Massacres of Georgians in Abkhazia and Genocide of Georgians in Abkhazia — refers to ethnic cleansing, massacres and forced mass expulsion of thousands of ethnic Georgians living in Abkhazia during the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict...
in 1993.
Shartava was born on 7 March 1944 in Sukhumi
Sukhumi
Sukhumi is the capital of Abkhazia, a disputed region on the Black Sea coast. The city suffered heavily during the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict in the early 1990s.-Naming:...
, Abkhaz ASSR. An engineer by education, he was elected to the Parliament of Georgia
Parliament of Georgia
Parliament of Georgia is the supreme legislature of Georgia. It is unicameral and has 150 members, known as deputies, from which 75 members are proportional representatives and 75 are elected through single-member district plurality system, representing their constituencies...
in 1992. Shartava chaired the legal Council of Ministers and the Council of Self-Defence of Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia during the Georgian-Abkhazian War in 1993. When the city of Sukhumi
Sukhumi
Sukhumi is the capital of Abkhazia, a disputed region on the Black Sea coast. The city suffered heavily during the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict in the early 1990s.-Naming:...
fell to the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n-supported separatist forces on September 27, 1993, Shartava with other members of the Abkhaz Government (Guram Gabiskiria
Guram Gabiskiria
Guram Gabiskiria was a Mayor of Sukhumi who was murdered by Abkhaz separatists during the ethnic cleansing of Georgians in Abkhazia in 1993....
, Raul Eshba
Raul Eshba
Raul Eshba was an ethnic Abkhaz politician who was killed in Sukhumi along with Zhiuli Shartava, Guram Gabiskiria and others by Abkhaz separatist rebels during the ethnic cleansing of Georgians in Abkhazia on September 27th, 1993.-External links:...
, Mamia Alasania
Mamia Alasania
Mamia Alasania was a colonel of the Georgian Armed Forces, defending the Government of the Georgian Autonomous Republic of Abkazia from separatist and russian combatants during the conflict in Abkhazia in 1990s...
, Sumbat Saakian
Sumbat Saakian
Sumbat Saakian was an ethnic Armenian politician in the Government of Abkhazian Autonomous Republic who was killed in Sukhumi along with Zhiuli Shartava, Guram Gabiskiria and others by Abkhaz separatist rebels during the Sukhumi Massacre on September 27, 1993.-External links:**...
, Misha Kokaia and others) refused to flee and were captured by the Abkhaz
Abkhaz people
The Abkhaz or Abkhazians are a Caucasian ethnic group, mainly living in Abkhazia, a disputed region on the Black Sea coast. A large Abkhazian diaspora population resides in Turkey, the origins of which lie in the emigration from the Caucasus in the late 19th century known as Muhajirism...
militants. Initially they were promised safety, however Shartava and others from the Council of Ministers were killed by the militants and according to UN report Shartava was excessively tortured.
In 2005, American journalist Malcolm Linton displayed his photo materials taken during the war in Abkhazia at the art gallery in Tbilisi, where Shartavas body was identified among the pile of corpses, clearly visible on one of the photographs. On video materials taken during the capture of Sukhumi by the militants, Shartava is carried out from the Government building and physically assaulted, after which he was forced into the van and taken to the outskirts of Sukhumi where he was killed with other Georgian and Abkhaz members of the government and their staff. Shartava's body was handed over to the Georgian side and was buried in the western Georgian city of Senaki
Senaki
Senaki is a town in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region, western Georgia. It is located at around .From 1935 to 1976 it was called Tskhakaya in honor of the Georgian Bolshevik revolutionary leader Mikhail Tskhakaya....
. In 1994, Shartava was officially honored as the National Hero of Georgia posthumously in 2004.