Mamuka Antia, 31, an ethnic Georgian guerrilla imprisoned...

Mamuka Antia, 31, an ethnic Georgian guerrilla imprisoned in the self-declared republic of Abkhazia committed suicide by hanging himself in his cell in Dranda, the minister of internal affairs of Abkhazia, Almazbei Kchach, said on April 3. The Georgian media circulated reports that Antia was hanged by Abkhaz customs officers Ashkhatsava and Vanacha who were released from Georgian prison in exchange for eight ethnic Georgians on March, 28th. Almazbei Kchach said that Antia was morally devastated when he was excluded from the prisoner exchange process and left in prison when his two associates (Kardava and Ekhvaia) were released. Antia, Kardava and Ekhvaia were arrested during armed clashes between Abkhaz separatist forces and ethnic Georgian guerrillas in Gali District in May 1998. The Abkhaz court sentenced Antia to death and Kardava and Ekhvaia to 15 and 13 years. Later, Abkhaz leader Vladislav Ardzinba showed mercy towards him and Antia's death sentence was suspended. The news agency added, however, that Antia's suicide had been confirmed by the head of Georgian intelligence Avtandil Ioseliani.