Guram Gabiskiria
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Guram Gabiskiria (Georgian: გურამ გაბესკირია) (1947–1993) was a Mayor of Sukhumi who was murdered by Abkhaz separatists during the ethnic cleansing of Georgians in Abkhazia in 1993.
Guram Gabiskiria was born on 2 March 1947 in Sukhumi, Georgia. He was a historian by education but worked as soccer referee in Dynamo Sukhumi. In 1989 he was appointed as president of Tskhumi, a newly formed soccer club of Sukhumi. In 1990 He was a candidate in the elections for the parliament of Abkhazian Autonomous Republic but gave up his claims in favour of Tamaz Nadareishvili.
During the Georgian-Abkhazian War in 1993 he was elected as Mayor of Sukhumi. Later he joined the legal Council of Ministers and the Council of Self-Defence of Abkhazian Autonomous Republic. When the city of Sukhumi fell to the Russian-supported separatists on September 27, 1993, Gabiskiria along with other authorities from the legitimate Government of Abkhazian Autonomous Republic (Zhiuli Shartava, Raul Eshba, Mamia Alasania, and others) refused to leave the besieged city and was captured by Abkhaz militants and North Caucasian mercenaries. Based on video materials, Human rights documents and witness accounts [1] of the event, G. Gabiskiria, Z. Shartava, R. Eshba and other members of the government were dragged outside of the parliament building and forced to knee by the Abkhaz/North Caucasian militants. Gabiskiria refused to do so by replying in Russian: “Never in my life!” ("Никогда в жизни!")
All captured members of the government including Gabiskiria were killed by the Abkhaz militants.
