User:Sephia karta/draft articles/The Abkhazian Letters

The Abkhazian Letters is the collective designation of over 60 letters sent by academics and ordinary people of the Abkhazian ASSR to the central government organs of the Soviet Union in Moscow to complain about perceived discrimination by the leadership of the Georgian SSR. The letters are customarily named after the number of signatories. They were sent over the largest part of the Soviet Union's existence, between 1947 and 1989, roughly in ten year intervals. In many instances some of the demands were satisfied whereas the authors themselves were punished.

Background
Until 1931 Abkhazia had been a separate union republic joined by treaty with Georgia. In 1931 Abkhazia was downgraded to the status of autonomous republic within Georgia, but it remained a degree of autonomy until Lavrenty Beria had its leader Nestor Lakoba poisoned in 1937. After 1937 Abkhazia underwent a policy of forced Georgianisation. The Abkhazian Letters protested this Georgianisation and demanded the re-establishment of Abkhazia as a separate union republic or else its inclusion within the Russian SFSR. This latter demand was never met but the policy of Georgianisation was gradually reversed to the point were Georgians felt that Abkhaz were over-privileged.

The Abkhazian Letters culminated in the Lykhny Declaration of 1989, signed by 40,000 Abkhazians. When the Soviet Union disintegrated the status of Abkhazia became the main issue of the Georgian–Abkhazian conflict, leading to a war from 1992 to 1993 and many other violent confrontations and which is still ongoing.

1947 Letter of Three
D. Dzidzaria, Bagrat Shinkuba and K. Shakryl, working at the Marr Institute of Abkhazian history, literature and language. Adressed to Communist Party of the Soviet Union secretary Alexey Kuznetsov. The letter protested the Georgianisation of Abkhazia and intended to show in what ways ethnic Abkhaz were discriminated against in the Abkhazian ASSR. It was redirected by Moscow to the Communist Party of Georgia. The authors of the letter were severely criticised.

1985 Letter of Three
Gennadi Alamia, Rushbei Smyr, Denis Chachkhalia