17.01.2007 - Source: UK Home Office

Abkhaz are people ethnically distinct from the Georgians; they became a minority of 18% in their own republic as a result of enforced 19th century migration and 20th century Georgian colonisation ("Country of Origin Information Key Documents; Georgia") [ID 20293]

"In 1989, when the last Soviet census was held, the then Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia, situated on the Black Sea coast, had a population of 537,000. As a result of enforced 19th century migration and 20th century Georgian colonisation, the Abkhaz - a people ethnically distinct from the Georgians - had become a minority in their own republic (44% Georgians, 18% Abkhazians, 16% Russians)."

Document(s): Open document

10.01.2007 - Source: Minorities at Risk

Chronology of events concerning Abkhazians in Georgia (523 - June 1999) ("Chronology for Abkhazians in Georgia") [#37948],  [ID 5009]

Document(s): Open document

10.2006 - Source: European Centre for Minority Issues

Abkhaz make up 50% of the population of Abkhazia; outside Abkhazia they make up 0.08% of the population; most Abkhaz are Orthodox Christians; there is also a significant minority of Muslims ("Implementing the Framework Convention for the Protection of Minorities in Georgia: A Feasibility Study") [ID 18141]

"Even before the 1992-93 war in Abkhazia, there were very few Abkhaz outside the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia. In 1989, the Abkhaz population made up 17.8% of the population of Abkhazia. Today, after the expulsion of almost all Georgians from Abkhazia, the figure is probably close to 50%. Outside Abkhazia, according to the 2002 population census, there were 3,527 Abkhaz, or 0.08% of the total population. In particular, a few Abkhaz remain in Adjara, where they make up 0.4% of the population. Most Abkhaz are Orthodox Christians, although amongst their number are a significant minority of Muslims."

Document(s): Open document

08.2001 - Source:

University of Maryland - Minorities at Risk: Background Information ("00.08.2001 - University of Maryland - Minorities at Risk: Background Information") [ID 5011]

"The Abkhaz are a Muslim minority group that resides in the self-governing autonomous region of Abkhazia in northwestern Georgia (BELIEF = 2). The Abkhaz won de facto independence for their traditional homeland in a bloody civil war which ended at the negotiating table in May 1994. The political status of Abkhazia today is one of the most contentious issues in the Caucasus.
The Abkhaz are traditionally mountain dwellers, known for their horsemanship, fighting ability and legendary longevity. Abkhaz nationalists trace their history back past the middle ages (TRADITN = 1). They have always displayed a high degree of group cohesion, and this was further reinforced by the war for independence (COHESX9 = 5). An enormous influx of non-Abkhaz occurred throughout the Soviet period, encouraged by Stalin, who was an ethnic Georgian, and his lieutenant, fellow Georgian Beria. Hence, Abkhaz blame Stalin for turning them into a minority in their own land. According to the final Soviet census, at the time of Georgian independence Abkhaz comprised only 18% of the population of their region. Today, after their victorious struggle for quasi-independence and a mass exodus of ethnic Georgians, the Abkhaz may make up a third of their region's shrinking population.
In large part, Abkhaz grievances have been economic in nature: Abkhazia's Black Sea coastline features some of the choicest vacation spots in the former Soviet Union, and during Soviet times the Abkhaz believed that tourist revenues which were their proper due were instead diverted into Tbilisi's coffers by greedy Georgian officials. The relative prosperity of the region was destroyed by the war and massive emigration of ethnic Georgians that accompanied it, leaving Abkhazia today as one of the most economically depressed regions in Georgia. One concrete instance of political discrimination against Abkhaz occurred in 1990 when the "Aydgylara" (the Abkhaz popular front) was banned from participating in elections because its activities were confined to the a single region of the country.
Despite external pressure to reach some kind of agreement, repeated rounds of negotiations have not led to any solution to the political standoff between the Abkhaz and the Georgian government. Low level violence has continued since quasi-independence between the Abkhaz militia army and militant Georgian groups that demand a return of Georgian refugees and a renouncement of independence by Abkhazia.
In December 2000, Moscow placed travel restrictions on Georgian nationals, necessitating a visa for anyone wishing to enter The North Caucasus. These restrictions did not apply to citizens of the two break-away republics, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which was widely interpreted as an attempt to further undermine Tblisi's influence in these regions.
The wars in Chechnya have posed a problem for the Abkhaz leadership, for they received support from both sides in their war for independence. As of today, the Abkhaz not been supportive of the Chechen cause, choosing instead to stay allied with Moscow, whose peacekeepers are its ultimate guarantor of independence. The situation in Abkhazia since the end of the war was perhaps best captured by Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze, who in 1995 described the region as existing in "neither peace nor war.""

Document(s): 00.08.2001 - University of Maryland - Minorities at Risk: Background Information