at,ak

13/01/2024

On January 14, Abkhazia celebrates the ancient Abkhaz holiday - Azhyrnyhwa or the holiday of the Creation (renewal) of the world.
Translated from Abkhaz Ажьырныҳәа - ажьира “forge” and аныҳәара “praying”

Despite the fact that the Abkhazians are usually classified as small nations, they are one of the few ethnic groups that have a vibrant, original culture.

The relevance of the Azhyrnykhua holiday among modern Abkhazians is a confirmation of the uniqueness and originality of our people, who, despite many upheavals and globalization processes, managed to preserve their ancient customs. The Abkhaz religion has always been and remains one of the main elements of traditional culture.

The main venue for the event is the smithy (Abkh. azhira). The smithy occupies a special place in the spiritual life of the Abkhazians; it is revered as a sacred place. In different families, the celebration of Azhyrnykha has its own nuances. Its essence remains unchanged: with the onset of darkness, the family members turn to God with a request to preserve and protect their family. The main action is the ritual of sacrifice, which is performed by the eldest man in the house. A goat is sacrificed, as well as roosters and hens according to the number of men and women in the family. A candle is made for each family member from pure beeswax, without impurities, to light it during prayer in the forge.

Prayer begins at nightfall. The eldest man in the family says a prayer. In his right hand he holds a glass of wine, and in his left — the liver and heart of a sacrificial animal, impaled on a hazelnut stick. After the prayer, everyone returns to the house. Here, the head of the family blesses and introduces the woman of the house to the celebration, who, as a representative of another family, does not have the right to participate in prayer in the ancestral Ajira (forge). Usually, the head of the family asks for peace and prosperity for his relatives, people and inhabitants of the whole earth. And in return, he, as a family priest, undertakes to live properly for the whole family — according to his conscience

In Soviet times, such holidays were strictly prohibited. Despite this, many Abkhazians secretly continued to hold Azhyrnykhua, preserving and passing on from generation to generation the ancient customs of their people. Since 1994, after the collapse of the Soviet Union and gaining independence, this day has been included in the official calendar of festive and memorable dates and is one of the main traditional Abkhaz holidays.

The celebration of Azhyrnykhua unites the entire family line. Christians, Muslims, atheists on this day all gather in the family hearth, regardless of religious beliefs. Despite the fact that traditional religion plays a very important role in the life of modern Abkhazians and continues to be one of the most important foundations of the Abkhazian national identity, the current authorities take an emphatically respectful position towards all religions in the country. Today, the cult of Azhyrnykha is not given strong religious significance; it is rather a tribute to traditions and customs, as well as a reason for meetings and maintaining close communication between relatives.

08/05/2023

Today marks 82 birthday of Yury Voronov. On this day we would like to share his response letter to biased article on the events of 1992-1993 happening in Abkhazia. The letter was published in the British newspaper the Independent.

Yu.N. Voronov is a well-known archaeologist, historian, expert on Caucasus studies, statesman and public figure. Yuri Voronov was a member of the national liberation movement of people of Abkhazia. During the Patriotic War of Abkhazia (1992-1993) he made a huge contribution in defending the interests of Abkhazia: he participated in the negotiation process, and often gave interviews to the media.

On April 27, 1993, the British newspaper the Independent published an article by Hugh Pope with unreliable information about the situation in Abkhazia. The response of the Abkhaz side did not take long to wait. On April 30, the newspaper published a reply letter to Mr. Hugh Pope. This letter explained what was actually happening in Abkhazia. The letter was signed by Yuri Voronov, Stanislav Lakoba and Liana Kvarchelia

Letter: Georgia wants to erase Abkhazia

Sir: Your correspondent Hugh Pope ('Taming the unruly people of Georgia', 28 April) is certainly correct in drawing attention to the chaos, violence and general economic misery that characterise present-day Georgia, and to the fact that Georgians are set against Georgians.

However, what he says about the Abkhazian crisis is seriously misleading. We Abkhazians are not, as Mr Pope (employing the terminology of the Georgian leader Eduard Shevardnadze) maintains, 'separatists' or 'rebels'. We are autonomists who, in reaction to the unprovoked Georgian attack on Abkhazia last summer, are fighting for our very survival as an ethnic group.

Not only has the ethnically mixed population of Abkhazia been subject to pillage, torture, r**e and murder, but a systematic effort has also been made to obliterate the historical memory of the Abkhazian people, who have their own language and have been settled in the region since antiquity, through the deliberate destruction of archives, libraries and museums.

We would like to emphasise that it is not only the Abkhazians who are threatened by what Andrei Sakharov once described as the 'mini-empire' of Georgia but so, too, are the Mingrelians, South Ossetians, the Adjarians (Muslim Georgians), Russians, Armenians, Greeks, Catholics and Baptists.

We call upon Western governments, including Britain, to exert the maximum pressure on the Shevardnadze regime to respect the human rights of the various ethnic groups in the area and, indeed, of the Georgian people themselves. If there is no rapid and fair solution to the current crisis in Abkhazia, we fear the imminent outbreak of a generalised conflict in the Caucasus region, the consequences of which will be incalculable.

Yours sincerely,

YURI VORONOV

STANISLAV LAKOBA

(Deputies, Parliament

of Abkhazia)

LIANA KVARCHELIA

Gudauta, Abkhazia

28 April

31/03/2023

CULTURE as source of hope for the Abkhaz people

Culture is a combination of both material and spiritual results of human activity — a distinctive feature of each nation.
The significance of each culture lies in its authenticity, uniqueness and specificity, whereas global culture is the result of the activities of all mankind as a diverse whole.
At the same time, it is only through a dialogue when cultural peculiarities are taken into account that one can feel the distinctiveness of any culture.

The culture of small nations should be provided with special protection, as the interference in their way of life entails the risk of losing their traditional way of life, and hence their constitutional identity.
In Abkhazia, the people consider the culture inherited from their ancestors to be their main wealth, and it is their duty to pass it from generation to generation. Culture is manifested in customs, traditions, language and folklore, presented in the form of chants, dances and literature. Culture is not only sacred, it is the ancestral memory, a sense of home and family, a prism of the representation of the Abkhaz future, which has always been under threat and whose right has always been defended. Thus, culture, in the broad sense, is the main source of hope for the Abkhaz people.

Today’s reality in Abkhazia is riddled with socio-economic, demographic, informational, political and technological problems caused by the post-war period and other circumstances. As a result, many opportunities for the preservation and dissemination of culture and language in particular, cannot be realised in the volume and pace that is necessary for their popularisation. Nowadays, traditions and customs are not strongly influenced from outside, while the activity of using the language is quite poor. The Abkhaz language is the state language, however, it is not widely used in the country. The reasons for this are the lack of an effective system of language teaching and the active displacement of the Abkhaz language in Soviet times by Georgian. Let’s dispense with value judgment, paying attention to the spiritual problems of this issue.

Abkhazians have always had a clear internal identity as a nation. However, in the course of historical events, the Abkhaz statehood had been discriminated. Despite the difficulties, Abkhazia has retained its uniqueness, but it is crucial to understand that the sovereignty of the state must be supported by ethnic culture elements within the country. The language strongly connects its native speaker with the Motherland, making them a single whole, providing a sense of a great involvement in the life of the country. In fact, the Abkhaz language for the Abkhazians is, rather, not only a method of communication, but perhaps even a method of existence.

So, in the Soviet Union, Abkhazians were forced to sing not in their own language, read not in their own language, think not in their own language. Now this problem also takes place, but it doesn’t happen under someone's oppression, it comes from hopelessness and insufficient knowledge of the native language. No one can be blamed for this, however, the percentage of the use of the Abkhaz language in Abkhazia needs to be increased. Linguistics says that language arose first of all to think, and only secondarily to communicate. We believe that thinking in our native language will not only strengthen self-identity of our people, but will also entail the popularisation of language and culture, for example, through art in its various manifestations.
Through music, dance and literature, Abkhazians express their love of freedom, pride and the spirit of the people. One can feel it in every single movement and note. This video reflects the traditional Abkhaz dance and the culture of making a toast — just listen!

Abkhazian dance performed by the ethnographic choir of peasants conducted by Platon Pantsulaia. The dance combines the richness of vocal melodies and expressive recitative, which repeats the intonations of the living Abkhaz language. The groovy rhythm of the composition is accompanied by a laconic lyrics that alternates with untranslatable words or sounds and gives a bright emotional flavour.

Art and culture illuminated the hearts of people even in the darkest times of the Georgian-Abkhaz war of 1992-1993. Bards and composers supported the morale of soldiers by creating songs (“Hara Haruaa Reihaby” (abkh. «Ҳара Ҳаруаа реиҳабы»), “Sons of Abkhazia” (rus. «Сыны Абхазии»), “Rada” (abkh. «Рада»)) that will always remind of heroism and horrors of a bloody page in the history of modern Abkhazia. Wartime creativity captured the harsh reality, evoking emotions that unite people; creativity helped people survive and defeat the enemy, helped preserve memories of their homeland and loved ones. People united and managed to pave the way to victory and liberate Abkhazia from the enemy.

For the Abkhaz people, culture and traditions have always been and remain the significant elements in life. Despite forced replacement from their homeland, long-term discrimination on ethnic grounds and the war, Abkhazians sacredly honor their cultural and genetic roots. The source of hope for everyone is deep inside, it is inextricably linked with the spiritual component, reverence for cultural wealth and, what is important, the desire to keep up with the times and build a bright future for Independent Abkhazia.

15/02/2023

«Демократия» - не отголосок навязываемого современностью образа жизни. Это важный идеологический концепт, принципы которого всегда были присущи абхазскому народу.

Так, французский ученый Фредерик Дюбуа де Монпере, побывавший на Кавказе в 1833-м г., характеризуя правление тогдашнего абхазского владетельного князя Михаила прямо указывал на то, что «народ, во главе которого он стоит, является скорее его властелином, чем он сам властелином народа. Князья не имеют никакой власти над дворянами, духовенством и простым свободным народом».

Этот образ жизни абхазы пронесли через столетия.

Cильное гражданское общество:

Гражданское общество Абхазии на протяжении многих лет является важнейшим субъектом сохранения и консолидации абхазской государственности. Общество было и остаётся активным участником политических процессов страны, подвергая здоровой критической оценке реализацию государственной политики правительством.

Одним из ярких исторических примеров гражданского активизма можно считать Лыхненское восстание 1866 года. Основной причиной возмущения была подготовка к проведению крестьянской реформы среди народа, у которого никогда не было крепостного права. Другая причина восстания носила нравственно-этический характер - недовольство «надменным отношением» генералов к абхазам.

Современное гражданское общество Абхазии строится как на стихийной сплочённости людей в вопросах той или иной важности, так и на устойчивых общественных объединениях - неправительственных организаций, политический партий, молодёжных движений.

Время естественным образом адаптирует и преобразовывает инструменты выражения общественного мнения. Так, гражданский протест как характерная черта абхазской демократии, сегодня, помимо прочих, обрёл форму мирных акций. В сентябре прошлого года участники молодёжного движения ҲараҲПицунда организовали согласованную с администрацией города мирную акцию протеста, тем самым поддержав всех несогласных с ратификацией соглашения о передаче в собственность РФ госдачи «Пицунда».

ПОЛИТИЧЕСКИЙ ПЛЮРАЛИЗМ:

«В Абхазии был и по-прежнему остается характерным плюрализм и высокий уровень политической конкуренции», считает ведущий научный сотрудник МГИМО Сергей Маркедонов

По данным Министерства юстиции, в Абхазии зарегистрировано 11 политических партий и более 400 общественных организаций, несмотря на оппозиционную или про властную позицию их всех объединяет идея сохранения и развития суверенитета Абхазии. Нередки и общественно-политические съезды на которых представители разных партий и движений открыто высказывают мнение и подвергают критике действия властей. На одном из таких 23 ноября 2022 году собрались политические партии, общественные деятели и организации, которые выразили консолидированное мнение по вопросам энергетики, передачи Пицундского комплекса и принятия закона об иностранных агентах.

ГЛАСНОСТЬ: СМИ, СВОБОДА СЛОВА

Независимая абхазская пресса сыграла важную роль в развитии демократических институтов в стране. И сегодня абхазские СМИ имеют ценную и в наше время особо хрупкую возможность открыть писать что угодно и о ком угодно, ограничиваюсь лишь самоцензурой.

«В отличие от многих постсоветских стран в Абхазии существует реальная свобода слова, что объясняется не только демократическими традициями абхазского общества […]. Заряд свободолюбия, вспыхнувший в годы подъема национально-освободительной борьбы во второй половине восьмидесятых годов прошлого века и укрепившейся в результате победы в грузино-абхазской войне 1992-93 годов, также способствовал становлению и развитию независимой абхазской прессы».

Одним из инструментов защиты свободы слова в Абхазии выступает Союз Журналистов.
24 ноября 2022 г. Союз Журналистов опубликовал заявление, в котором была выражена обеспокоенность в связи с фактами вмешательства органов исполнительной власти республики в деятельность государственных СМИ.

«Свобода слова является национальным достоянием независимой Республики Абхазии, закреплена в Конституции нашей страны, и ни при каких обстоятельствах не может быть допущено ущемление прав и свобод граждан, журналистов и редакций СМИ», - отмечается в заявлении.

Комментарий Уполномоченной по правам человека Асиды Шакрыл специально для at,ak:

«Я отнесла бы Абхазию к категории стран, где есть демократия, но с проблемами. Одно из главных наших достижений - сильное гражданское общество, которое было активным еще в советские времена и продолжает играть важную роль в нашем обществе.
Важно отметить, что отсутствие политических заключенных в стране - это серьезный показатель того, что авторитарные методы управления в Абхазии плохо приживаются. В Абхазии нередко имеют место массовые протесты, после которых нередко происходит смена власти.

Однако, отсутствие доступа к международным механизмам защиты прав человека, негативно отражается на ситуации с правами человека в республике. Я считаю, что есть необходимость в повышении ответственности нашего государства за обеспечение прав человека».

Абхазское государство сохранится и будет успешно развиваться, следуя заложенным в конституции демократическим принципам. Любые посягательства на свободу, в том числе на свободу слова, не останутся без внимания общества, ведь это то, что наши предки пронесли через испытание временем, через притеснения и утраты, чтобы однажды мы построили успешное современное и самодостаточное государство.

29/01/2023

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14/12/2022

ONE OF THE MOST TRAGIC EVENTS IN RECENT HISTORY OF ABKHAZIA

On December 14, 1992, during the Georgian-Abkhazian war, a Russian helicopter MI-8 was hit. It was carrying refugees from the blockade city Tquarchal to Gudauta.
The helicopter crashed on the territory of Lata village of Gulrypsh district.
All 87 people on board died, including 35 children and 8 pregnant women.

What Georgia Said

On December 15, on the second day after the tragedy, the Supreme Council of Abkhazia placed all responsibility for the crime on the Georgian side and appealed to the Heads of State and governments of the world, asking to
"condemn the fascist regime and stop political, financial and economic support of Georgia".
In turn, the Georgian side put forward a number of versions claiming non-involvement of Georgia in the destruction of the helicopter with refugees.
The head of the Council of Georgia,
T. Nadareishvili, made a statement that a helicopter with Abkhazian refugees was shot down by Abkhazian "militants" themselves.
According to other versions of the Georgian side, the helicopter was overloaded, or there were a large number of weapons and explosives on board the helicopter.

How it Really Was

Soon after the "theories" were presented, even in Tbilisi they realised the implausibility and absurdity of the version of the destruction of the helicopter by the Abkhazians.
In order to hide their involvement in the fall of the helicopter, the Tbilisi emissaries, knowing about the true culprits of the tragedy, for a long time refused to let the Commission of the Russian Ministry of Defense headed by General V. Ochirov to the site of the tragedy.
However, soon the Commission for the Investigation of the MI-8 crash in Abkhazia proved that the helicopter was shot down, finding fragments of a thermal rocket in its right engine. This was announced on December 20 by the chairman of the commission, General V. Ochirov.

Regarding the versions of the Georgian side about the overload and weapons on board the helicopter, V. Ochirov unequivocally noted: "Georgian experts, who worked together with us, were shown that the helicopter crush was not due to overload.
A report was compiled, documenting that parts and fragments of a foreign object, presumably MANPADS, were found in the right engine."
V. Ochirov then emphasised:
"We unambiguously declare that the helicopter of the Russian Air Force MI-8, on board of which there were refugees from Tquarchal, was shot down."

The International Community's
Response

On December 15, the Supreme Council of Abkhazia, in an address to the UN Secretary General B. Ghali, expressed bewilderment at the fact that the UN continues to remain silent about the inhuman policy of Georgia and only encourages the aggressor.
However, it was impossible to ignore this tragedy altogether, and the international community reacted eventually.
But the reaction was, to put it mildly, rather strange.

On January 28, 1993, the report of the
UN Secretary-General "On the situation in Abkhazia, the Republic of Georgia" stated:
"A particularly serious incident took place on December 14, 1992. A Russian helicopter crashed over Abkhazian territory, killing about 50 people, mostly women and children. The reasons behind this incident are still unclear"
Thus, the very obvious circumstances of the crash were declared "unclear" by the highest authorities. Later, V. Ardzinba criticized the report, saying that it contains a number of absolutely inaccurate facts.

Returning to other versions of the cause of the helicopter crash - particularly, the overload suggestion.
It is worth saying that, indeed, at the time there were more people on board than there were seats. But an emergency caused by an overload can occur only during take off or landing.
On December 14, the helicopter took off normally, gained an altitude of 1800 m and flew for more than 10 minutes. Experts have calculated that, taking into account the weight of all passengers and the remaining fuel on board, this helicopter could take up to 1 ton of cargo on an external sling if necessary.
Therefore, the version of "overload" is completely excluded.

If you ask military experts, why so many people were allowed on board, you have to realise the circumstances of the occupied city, when tormented women and children surround the helicopter that came to help.
For them that helicopter was, perhaps, the last hope.

Lata tragedy will forever remain an example of a blatant crime against humanity, which should have brought the perpetrators to international responsibility.

Sources:

1)Авидзба, А.Ф. Проблемы военно-политической истории Отечественной войны в Абхазии (1992-1993 гг.) Книга II. - 2013. - 628 с.

2)Сборник «Абхазия. Хроника необъявленной войны». IV. М. 1993. С. 242-243.

05/11/2022

Abkhazia is NOT occupied

Today, Georgian propaganda is actively spreading the myth that ‘Abkhazia is occupied by Russia’. Compared to small Abkhazia, Georgia has powerful resources to convince the world community of its “truth”, however, we advise you not to become victims of any propaganda and in the language of irrefutable facts and real life examples we would like to present you with arguments why Abkhazia is not occupied.

TERMINOLOGY

In international law a territory is considered “occupied” when it is placed under the authority of the hostile army. This formulation was adopted by the Hague Convention in 1907.

A mandatory attribute of the occupation regime is ex*****on by armed forces of one country of the efficient control over the territory and population of the other country. "Efficient control" in international humanitarian law is the implementation by the occupying forces of administrative and police functions in the respective territory, as well as the issuance by them of mandatory regulations for the local population.

How is it in the case of Abkhazia?

No temporary administrations for the control of territories by Russian forces were established in Abkhazia. No normative acts mandatory for the local population have been adopted either. Only the people of Abkhazia elect their own Government, including the President and members of Parliament. The transfer of power is taking place successfully and more than actively, and cases of mass protests are quite common.

RUSSIAN MILITARY

An important criterion is the distribution of the occupation forces throughout the occupied territory, which really allows for direct control.

The situation with the presence of Russian military personnel on the territory of the Abkhazia cannot be summed up under any of these criteria. Russian servicemen are compactly stationed on the territories of their military bases, do not interfere in the life of the local population, do not issue any legal regulations and do not perform police or administrative functions. Therefore, the Russian armed forces in Abkhazia cannot be considered “occupation troops".

The former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia Vyacheslav Chirikba stated that the joint Russian military base is located on the territory of the Republic of Abkhazia at the request of the Abkhaz side "in order to provide military assistance to protect sovereignty and security"; the composition of the Russian military base is determined by the Russian side in agreement with the Abkhaz side; all property and tax issues are resolved "under the customs control of the Abkhaz sides" and so on. How can the territory be occupied, if the “occupiers” comply with the laws of the "occupied" territory?

OUTSIDE PERSPECTIVE

According to an Associate Professor of International Law at the London School of Economics Stephen Humphreys,

Abkhazia would be considered an occupied territory if:

a) The current government in Abkhazia was not recognized by international law as legitimate and sovereign. (Today only five states recognize Abkhazia, but international law does not say anything about how many countries are "enough" in this case).

b) The local authorities were under the real control of another sovereign state, for example, Russia. If Russia does not control the Abkhaz authorities, then this territory cannot be considered occupied.

MEANWHILE IN ABKHAZIA

According to the current legislation, foreign citizens, including Russians, cannot acquire property in Abkhazia. Only citizens of Abkhazia have this right. Is this possible during the occupation? The question is rhetorical.
Moreover, the issue of the ratification of the agreement on the transfer of part of the territory of Abkhazia (Pitsunda) to the ownership of the Russian Federation and the acute reaction from the public and political forces, as well as the high level of development of civil society, and the free functioning of a large number of international organizations in Abkhazia, including UN structures, reveals the absence of an occupation regime.

It can be concluded that the actual state of affairs does not fall under any of the criteria of occupation. That is, there is no occupation regime in accordance with the principles of international humanitarian law.

By artificial introduction to circulation the term “occupied territories” Georgian government aims to mislead the International community.”

Today, Georgia uses the term "occupation" in relation to Abkhazia as a political slogan and propaganda cliché. The use of this term shows the inability to resist and an attempt to try on unjustified victim status, as it is much easier to call everything some kind of fictitious occupation that does not reflect the real situation in any way than to admit one's mistakes and start working on resolving the problem.

12/08/2022

12/08/2022

Всем привет.
at,ak - независимый молодёжный медиа-журнал Абхазии.

Цель журнала - создание условий для формирования критического взгляда на реалии современной Абхазии.

Важно осознавать историческую значимость молодежных и иных движений в формировании гражданского общества и поэтому деятельность журнала не будет ограничиваться лишь комментированием различных историко-политических вопросов. at,ak стремится делиться с миром нашей культурой, историей и иными вопросами, важными для понимания того, что сегодня представляет собой Абхазия и кто такие абхазы.

В дальнейшем будет формироваться открытое дискуссионное пространство для вопросов, которые наша молодёжь считает важными и актуальными.

аt,ak открыт к идеям и инициативам. главное, чтобы они были.