The remains of 22 fighters who went missing due to the 1992–93 armed conflict in Georgia’s breakaway Abkhazia region were buried today at the Digomi Brothers’ Cemetery.
The bodies have been identified by the International Community of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Before burial the remains were sent to the Tbilisi forensic bureau and then to the Trinity Cathedral, where Georgians were able to show their respect for the deceased.
Since 2013, 148 individuals have been identified - 109 Georgian fighters and 39 Abkhaz. 177 people have been exhumed and the remains are being identified. More than 2,400 people went missing due to the conflict,” the Georgian Refugee Minister Sozar Subari said.
President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili arrived at the Trinity Cathedral before the burial to show his respect to the fighers. Photo: President's press office.
The minister praised the merit and efforts of the ICRC and stated that the de facto leadership of Abkhazia showed a "constructive attitude” to the process.
Since the coordination mechanism was first set up in 2010 with the technical and financial support of the ICRC, the remains of 325 people who went missing during the conflict have been recovered.
Of these, 148 have been identified, and the identification of other remains is ongoing, the ICRC reported.