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Mass media in Abkhazia consists of several TV channels, newspapers, magazines and radio stations. Some of them are government-owned, others are private. Apsnypress is the government information agency. Russian media are generally also available and popular.
The first newspaper appeared in Abkhazia in 1917, [1] Dmitry Gulia was its editor. It was succeeded by Apsny Kapsh (Red Abkhazia) in Soviet times. Alongside it there were numerous other publications in Abkhaz, Russian, Georgian, Armenian, Greek and Laz languages. [2] The 1992–1993 Georgian-Abkhaz war which was followed by the exodus of a large share of the republic's population and a blockade had a profound effect on all the media, with only a few surviving it.
 | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2016) |
There are two government and several private newspapers, published in Russian (predominantly) and Abkhaz. [3] The circulation ranges from 1,000 to 5,000, most of the newspapers are weeklies. [4] There is a degree a diversity, opposition media criticise the government over the wide range of issues such as Abkhazian-Russian relations and internal politics. [2] [5] [6] Novy Den and Chegemskaya Pravda newspapers had a pro-opposition tone during the 2009 presidential elections. [5] There have been several claims of harassment of journalists by the authorities. In September 2009, a court in Sukhumi gave journalist Anton Krivenyuk a three-year suspended sentence for allegedly libelling Bagapsh. Some Abkhazian journalists viewed this as an intimidation of opposition in the run-up to the elections. [5]
There is a trilingual semimonthly newspaper, Gal, published in Gali District.
| | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2016) |
Radio Soma is the only private radio station is very popular, broadcasting 24 hours a day, primarily music, but also carrying some news and, at times, live talk shows with invited guests. [4] The state radio, like state TV, broadcasts for 3–4 hours a day. [7] In December 2014, Sputnik (news agency) inaugurated its website and radio broadcasting in Abkhazia. [8]
The most important channel is a state-run one (Apsua TV), which is broadcast up to 6 hours a day, with 15-minute news in Abkhaz and Russian. [4] [5] It is the only local channel available all over the country. Abaza TV, the only private station, reaches only Sukhumi and its environs. [4] It is owned by Beslan Butba and supported him during the 2009 presidential elections. [5] Another private channel, Sukhum-TV existed in the capital in 2006, there are local TV stations in Gagra and Tkvarcheli. [6] [7]
Russian channels, such as Channel One, Russia 1, NTV and Kultura, are available throughout Abkhazia. [6] There is an access to Georgian TV in some parts of Abkhazia as well. [7]
On 25 January 2016, Prime Minister Artur Mikvabia released, upon her request, Emma Khojava from the post of General Director of the Abkhazian State TV and Radio, and appointed Roland Bganba as her temporary replacement. [9] [10] On 29 January, former Culture Minister Leonid Enik was appointed as the new General Director. [11]
Abkhazia is not part of international treaties such as the ICCPR and the ECHR, which for most countries in the world constitute legal obligations for the state-party to respect human rights, including freedom of expression and press freedom. However, Abkhazian authorities have made a commitment to respect international standards of democratic governance and human rights. [12] The ‘Constitution of Abkhazia’ recognises and guarantees, in Chapter 2, Article 11, “the human rights and freedoms fixed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International covenants of economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights, or in other universally recognized international legal acts. [12]
Media freedom and pluralism in Abkhazia is affected by government influence as well as by the penetration of Russian media in the Abkhazian media landscape. According to Freedom House 2016 report, the government, which operates the Abkhaz State Television and Radio Company (AGTRK) largely controls also local broadcast media. [13]
The IREX Media Sustainability report for the year 2016 notes the view of a group of Georgian panelists who agreed that Russia’s influence in the region is growing, and its impact on Abkhazia's media landscape is evidenced by the fact that “because of Russia’s huge influence and interference no media representatives broadcast anything in Abkhazian language.” [14]
Attacks and killings of journalists in Abkhazia have been registered during the War in Abkhazia (1992–1993).
According to the registry of journalists killed, which is maintained by the US-based, independent organization Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), two foreign journalists lost their life in 1993 while covering the conflict: the Wall Street Journal correspondent Alexandra Tuttle was killed on September 22, 1993, while being on a military aircraft hit by an Abkhazian ground-to-air missile. [15] while Russian war photographer Andrey Soloviev was killed in Shukumi by a sniper fire on September 27, 1993. [16]
A third journalist, Georgian reporter Georgy Chanya, was killed on 27 May 1998 while being engaged in the coverage of a new outburst of fighting near Gali. [17]
Sergei Uasyl-ipa Bagapsh was an Abkhaz politician who served as the second President of Abkhazia from 12 February 2005 until his death on 29 May 2011. He previously served as Prime Minister of Abkhazia from 1997 to 1999. He was re-elected in the 2009 presidential election. Bagapsh's term as prime minister included the 1998 war with Georgia, while he oversaw both the recognition of Abkhazia by Russia and the Russo-Georgian War during his presidency.
Dmitry Gulia was an Abkhazian Soviet writer and poet, considered to be one of the founders of Abkhaz literature. He is often called “The Father of Abkhazian Literature”.
The Bagramyan Battalion, also known officially as the Independent Motorized Rifle Battalion named after Marshal Ivan Khristoforovich Baghramyan was a unit formed in Abkhazia and predominantly composed of ethnic Armenians living in Abkhazia that fought together with separatist Abkhaz forces during the War in Abkhazia (1992–93). Named in honour of the Soviet Armenian Marshal Ivan Bagramyan, the battalion fought against the forces of Georgia. It was subsequently disbanded.
Apsnypress is the de facto state press agency of Abkhazia. Its stated goals is to assist in development of democracy, sovereignty and independence of the breakaway Abkhaz republic and to ensure the information security thereof.
Parliamentary elections were held in Abkhazia on 2 March 2002 to elect the third convocation of the People's Assembly. The elections had originally been scheduled for 24 November 2001, but had to be postponed due to the October 2001 Chechen incursion into the lower Kodori Valley. Candidates supporting President Vladislav Ardzinba won all 35 seats.
Many inhabitants of Abkhazia are Orthodox Christians, With significant minorities adhering to Islam and the Abkhaz neopaganism, or the "Abkhazian traditional religion". The influence of this last has always remained strong and has been experiencing a revival through the 1990s and 2000s.
The written Abkhaz literature appeared relatively recently in the beginning of the 20th century although Abkhaz oral tradition is quite rich.
Abkhazia is a de facto independent, partially recognised country lying on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, its southern border. It is bordered by Russia to the north, and Georgia to the east recognised by Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and the de facto independent republics of South Ossetia and Transnistria, in which context it is referred to as the Republic of Abkhazia with Sukhumi as its capital.
The Abkhazian passport is issued to citizens of the Republic of Abkhazia for the purpose of international travel and for the purpose of legal identification within Abkhazia. As Abkhazia is only recognised by Russia, Venezuela, Syria, Nicaragua and Nauru, for all other destinations Abkhazian citizens must use another passport for international travel.
Human rights in Abkhazia are granted by Chapter II of its Constitution which makes reference to adherence of Abkhazia to UDHR, ICCPR and ICESCR. However, Abkhazia is not a UN member state and is not a party of UN human rights treaties, unlike Georgia, whose sovereignty over Abkhazia is recognized by a bigger part of the international community.
Presidential elections were held in Abkhazia on 12 December 2009, the fourth such elections since the post of President of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia was created in 1994. The result was a victory for incumbent president Sergei Bagapsh, who received 63% of the vote, winning a second term in office. Bagapsh competed against four opposition candidates: former vice president and prime minister Raul Khajimba, who came second behind Bagapsh in the 2004 presidential election, and newcomers Beslan Butba, Zaur Ardzinba and Vitali Bganba. Khajimba had stated that he, Ardzinba and Butba would support each other should one of them reach the second round of the election. Bagapsh was inaugurated on 12 February 2010.
The Abkhazian Orthodox Church is an Eastern Orthodox church outside the official Eastern Orthodox ecclesiastical hierarchy. It came into existence when the Sukhumi-Abkhazian Eparchy declared on 15 September 2009 that it no longer considered itself part of the Georgian Orthodox Church and that it was "re-establishing the Catholicate of Abkhazia disbanded in 1795". Vissarion Aplaa is the Primate of the Abkhazian Orthodox Church since 2009 and is the self-proclaimed catholicos of the Church. It has two eparchies (dioceses) in Pitsunda and Sukhumi and is organized in 9 parishes.
The Party for the Economic Development of Abkhazia is an opposition party in Abkhazia led by businessman Beslan Butba.
Beslan Butba is a businessman and a former Prime Minister of Abkhazia. He owns Abkhazia's only private television station Abaza TV and is the chairman of the Party of the Economic Development of Abkhazia. Butba was an unsuccessful candidate in the December 2009 presidential election.
Leonid Enik was Minister for Culture of Abkhazia from 2001 until 10 March 2005. He was born in 1960 in the village of Mgudzurkhva in Gudauta District.
Daur Zantaria was a writer and journalist from Abkhazia, publishing both in Abkhaz and Russian languages.
Apsua TV (Abkhazian Television) (in Abkhaz Аԥсуа Телехәаԥшра) is the state-owned television channel in Abkhazia. It broadcasts in Abkhaz and Russian languages. Its headquarters are located in Sukhumi.
Tali Japua is the current General Director of the Abkhazian State TV and Radio.
The Abkhazian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company is Abkhazia's public television and radio broadcaster, founded in 1976. Its sole TV channel, Apsua TV, started broadcasting on November 6, 1976.
Aslan Georgievich Bzhania is an Abkhaz politician who has served as the President of Abkhazia since 23 April 2020. He was the Head of the State Security Service from 2010 to 2014, and one of the leaders of the opposition in Abkhazia from 2016. He ran in the 2019 presidential election, but was forced to withdraw due to poisoning. He won the subsequent 2020 presidential election.
