This was made possible under the humanitarian mandate of the Coordination Mechanism on Persons Unaccounted For in Connection with the Events of the 1992–1993 Armed Conflict and After, which has operated with the ICRC’s support since 2010 and involves Abkhaz and Georgian participants.
A meeting was held at the Levan Samkharauli National Forensics Bureau (NFB) on 18 May, where the families had the opportunity to receive information about the process of the search, recovery of remains and identification of their loved ones. The meeting was attended by representatives from the Office of the State Minister of Georgia for Reconciliation and Civic Equality, the NFB and the ICRC.
A public farewell ceremony will take place on 19 May at the Sameba Holy Trinity Cathedral in Tbilisi.
“I would like to express my deepest condolences to the 11 families for whom today is a special day, as after decades of ambiguity they have finally received the remains of their loved ones”
“It is a demonstration of the commitment of the participants of the coordination mechanism towards the families. It is also a recognition of the need to further enhance collective efforts to ensure that there is a strong, long-term, and locally driven system in place to clarify the fate and whereabouts of missing persons and support their families in a sustainable way “.
In total, 1719 people are still reported missing in connection with the armed conflict of 1992–93 in Abkhazia.
Since 2013, the remains of at least 661 people were recovered. 319 of them were identified and handed over to their families.
The Coordination Mechanism, with support from the ICRC, continues working to determine what happened to the other people who remain missing in connection with the conflict.
For further information, please contact:
Maya Kardava, ICRC Tbilisi, tel.: +995 599 558818
