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Abkhaz Activist Reports Harassment Before UN Forum
- IHR
- a few seconds ago
- 3 min read
Elçin Adzinba, an Abkhazian-Turkish activist connected to Turkey's Federation of Caucasian Associations (KAFFED), claims she was targeted in a cyberattack after getting threats from individuals claiming to be connected to the Georgian mafia.
Adzinba, who also works as an assistant professor at Adnan Menderes University in western Turkey, was part of a KAFFED group that attended the 18th UN Forum on Minority Issues in Geneva on November 28. During the forum, she spoke about the problems caused by the international community not accepting documents issued in Abkhazia.
She explained that many countries disregard Abkhazian documents, such as birth certificates, death records, marriage licenses, medical reports, and diplomatic papers. As a result, Abkhazians are being denied their legal identity, access to medical care, and the chance to get an education.
Adzinba stated that thousands of Abkhazians are stuck in Abkhazia because they cannot easily travel to other countries.
She urged all UN member states to take action by putting in place practical and humanitarian solutions that would allow Abkhazians to have access to basic rights. She emphasized that such solutions do exist in other places and have been proven to work and prevent suffering. She wasn't asking anyone to take sides or make political statements.
In closing, she asked for a legally binding agreement where Sukhumi (Sukhum) and Tbilisi promise not to use force against each other, which has been a long-standing request from Abkhazia.
In an interview with OKNO, an Abkhazian media outlet that uses social media and is published in English by Abkhaz World, Adzinba mentioned that she was at the forum as an academic representing KAFFED's Abkhazia Working Group.
KAFFED, which was founded in 2003, is an organization that oversees more than 56 Caucasian associations in Turkey, most of which represent North Caucasian people.
Adzinba revealed during the interview that she was approached after the first day of the forum while walking in Geneva. She said that two men came up to her and told her they knew who she was, identified themselves as Georgian mafia, and told her to be more careful about what she said.
She continued, stating that the next day, as she was about to speak in the UN hall, Georgian representatives intentionally sat right behind her to create pressure. She noted that this is visible in the video recording of her speech. she was supported by many people, including UNPO Secretary General Mercè Monhe Cano and other participants, who sat next to her, in front of her, and behind her.
Adzinba said that a Georgian representative later requested to speak so that he could respond to her personally.
She said that when he started repeating the same old lies, she simply left the room, adding that she had already reported the threats to the UN.
OKNO reported that Adzinba had also been the target of a cyberattack.
She stated that they were able to access all of her passwords, including those for her bank, university, and government services. She added that they completely erased all of her messages about Abkhazia, including those with the UN and international organizations. Her academic papers and data that were stored in Google Drive were also deleted. While she was able to retrieve most of the information, she was unable to recover the messages.
Adzinba told OKNO that the Georgians burned Abkhaz archives and libraries in the past, implying that their current actions are just a continuation of the same mentality.
According to the media outlet, Adzinba has filed a complaint with the Turkish Prosecutor's Office about the hacking of her accounts.
To ensure clarity for our readers, we have chosen not to use qualifiers such as de facto, unrecognized, or partially recognized when referring to institutions or political positions within Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and South Ossetia. This decision does not indicate any specific stance on their political status.