17:00, 14 January 2010

Soldier from Abkhazia seeks refuge in Georgia

Lekso Bzhaniya, 18, a soldier of the Abkhazian armed forces, left his military unit without permit and addressed for refuge to the government of Georgia. The young man said that he had been forced into the Abkhazian army and expressed his readiness to serve in Georgia.

According to the young soldier, he was forced by armed persons from his native village of Kokhora, Gali District, first to Tkvarcheli, and then - to the headquarters of the Ochamchira District, where he was forced to take his military service.

As reported by the "GHN" Agency, Bzhaniya addressed the NGO "International organization in Defence of Human Rights" and is still with his brother and mother in the office of the NGO. The website "Our Abkhazia" adds that human rights activists plan to petition before the Ministry for Refugees' Matters and Accommodation of Georgia on granting refuge to Bzhaniya's family.

There is no confirmation of this information from other sources. The reaction of the Abkhazian party to these news items is also unknown.