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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Attempt on life of Prime Minister of Abkhazia |
| 2005-04-09 |
| On the evening of April 1st, an attempt was made on the life of Abkhazian Prime Minister Aleksandr Ankvab. His four-car motorcade was ambushed and fired on with automatic weapons as the Prime Minister departed from Sukhumi. The Prime Minister and Vice-Premier Leonil Lakerbaya were riding together and were not injured. Their driver, Roman Geria, was injured and taken to the hospital. This was the second attempt on Aleksandr Ankvab. The first attempt was on February 27th. The Minister of Internal Affairs of Abkhazia, Otar Khetsiya, believes that this attempt was carried out by the same people who participated in the first attempt. He reported to journalists that law enforcement agencies are actively searching for the criminals. "The previous and present attempts are both components of one chain. The continuation of an attempt by the local Mafia," commented Aleksandr Ankvab. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Abkhazia declared that it would pay 150 thousand rubles for information leading to the criminals. "Those, who planned the physical elimination of Aleksandr Ankvab, do not want to allow changes to criminality and criminal impunity that destroy the very basis of our state," according to an April 3rd statement released by representatives of a number of social and political movements in Abkhazia. In a document signed by Merabom Kishmariya (of the Amtsakhara Movement), Irina Agrba (of the Aytayra Movement), Artur Mikvabiya (of the United Abkhazia movement) and Azaretom Ayba (of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Abkhazia), they noted that the organizers and the executors of terrorist acts against the Prime Minister are those who do not agree with the present management of the country and its domestic policy, the main content of which is economic reform and an uncompromising fight against crime. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |