Results of Russian-Abkhazian Provocation or another Georgian Mistake

Nana Pazhava, Tsalenjikha

Two people died in the explosion allegedly from a distance remote detonator in village Muzhava, Tsalenjikha District on October 25, 2008. Gia Mebonia, Tsalenjikha District Governor and Otar Sabulua, a local both immediately died from blast.

Zviad Lagvilava, the police officer was also among the injured. Lagvilava underwent a difficult operation but survived; he is now recovering in the Zugdidi Central Hospital. According to the Georgian Government the remote detonator was exploded from the Russian-Abkhazian block-post when law enforcers, de miners, the government representatives and journalists came to Otar Sabulua’s house which was shot at on October 24.  
The EU and UN missions were observing the developments. Was it possible to avoid provocation? Was it a mistake or an action of un-professionalism? How did the de-miners and law enforcers act on the mined territory near Sabulua’s house? How the journalists and the government representatives managed to arrive there? – These are the question the Georgian officials have not been able to provide an answer to yet. However, the people that gathered at Zugdidi Central Hospital to find out if Lagvilava survived have asked these same questions. 

At 1: 30 p.m., October 25 Gia Mebonia and Zviad Lagvilava were placed in Zugdidi Central Hospital. Gia Mebonia,Tsalenjikha District Governor was already dead by that time. According to Roin Petelava, medical expert Mebonia suffered an injury to his skull area.

Roin Petelava: “Gia Mebonia’s autopsy showed that he was wounded only in his skull. We have taken out led particles from his wound. The expertise will show what kind of round or explosive device was used against them.”

 Zviad Lagvilava, deputy head of Tsalenjikha Police Department was injured in arm and chest. He underwent an operation that lasted for 4 hours.

Roland Akhalaia, surgeon: “Lagvilava’s health condition is stable but still grave. He is still treated in the intensive care ward. He was wounded in chest and his one lung was also injured. The fragment of metal was lodged in close proximity to his heart. Another particle entered and exited through his left arm.”

Otar Sabulua, the inhabitant of Muzhava village was first placed in Jvarzeni Hospital and then moved to Zugdidi Central Hospital at about 4 p.m. Before Sabulua was moved to Zugdidi Central Hospital the law enforcers that had gathered in front of the hospital said that it was pointless to move him because he was severely injured and his health condition was very grave. However, for some reason soon Kutaisi National Medical Center car was sent to bring Sabulua to Zugdidi Central Hospital. However, the car returned in 10 minutes without Sabulua. In the end he was moved to Zugdidi Central Hospital.

The associates of Otar Sabulua believed till the last moment that he would survive. Nazi Sabulua, the sister of Otar Sabulua recalls how the journalists forced her brother to accompany them to his shot house on October 25 before the explosion.

Nazi Sabulua: “My brother’s house was shot on the night of October 24. He survived by a happy accident. His whole family found shelter in my house that night. My house is approximately one kilometer far from my brother’s house.  My brother saw the house only from the outside next morning. At about 12 p.m. on October 25 the government representatives and journalists came. One journalist told my brother they were going to film his house and asked to come with them. Otar said his house’s vicinity was mined and he refused to go with them. The journalist said that if journalists dared to go, the house owner should go with them and forced him to accompany them.”

It turned out that Gia Mebonia,Tsalenjikha district governor did not want to go to Otar Sabulua’s house either. The TV- stations informed that the comments on shooting Otar Sabulua’s house had been made before the detonator exploded. Gia Mebonia, district governor and Gia Kharchilava, head of Tsalenjikha body of self governance – Sakrebulo commented on the shooting for all Georgian TV channels. It is noteworthy one group of journalists together with law enforcers had visited the house at 5 a.m. of October 25, shortly following the shooting. Therefore, it is strange why the journalists returned to Sabulua’s house. It is noteworthy that it was not Gia Mebonia’s responsibility to visit the crime scene. Consequently, it is unknown why Mebonia went there. Mikheil Saakashvili, the president of Georgia and Vano Merabishvili, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia also mentioned this as well.

The TV companies inform that the state will cover Gia Mebonia’s funeral expenses and pay for Zviad Lagvilava’s treatment but nothing was said about Otar Sabulua who is the victim in this situation just like the other two. No one talks about the following: why Sabulua’s house was shot and why the law enforcers do not speak.

To the Human Rights Center’s information the shooting of Otar Sabulua’s house was the result of revenge. Sabulua had business contacts in Abkhazia. He was involved in scarp metal and cigarette businesses. The camera men of various TV-channels filmed expensive cars in Sabulua’s yard which were shot together with the house itself. There is a version that Otar Sabulua brought these cars from Abkhazia last week. Assumedly, he wanted to sell them. Therefore, Georgian law enforcers should have known about Sabulua’s activities as everything that is connected with Abkhazia is interesting for Georgian law enforcers.

Some think that Sabulua failed to pay money for his Abkhaz partners and he then became a victim of retribution. There is also one important detail: The Human Rights Center found out about a telephone conversation between Sabulua and some stranger. The conversation was in the Russian language and they spoke around 5 a.m. after Sabulua’s house had been shot up. This was when the police and journalists first arrived to Sabulua’s house.  He named everyone who was in his house at the time of the telephone conversation to the stranger…. Why did two mobile phones which were found in severely wounded Sabulua’s pocket raise such suspicion?!

No official information has been publicized on what explosive material or weapon was used during the explosion. The fact is that Gia Mebonia was not blown up as a result of a mine.  According to the preliminary official information, a remote detonator set-off the explosive. Yet there is another version where the bomb was hung on a tree and exploded when Mebonia came close to it ….

A person who was interviewed by the Human Rights Centre said: “I understand why Gia Mebonia and Gia Kharchilava and journalists were on the incident place (Mebonia and Kharchilava came out off responsibility to the civilians and the journalists arrived out of their curiosity) but where were law enforcers and de-miners at that time? How did the law enforcer admit that civilians enter mined territory and why the most basic of security measures were never taken?