The Parliament of breakaway Abkhazia adopted, on their first hearing, draft amendments to the law regarding citizenship of the Republic of Abkhazia on September 22, Apsnypress news agency reported.

The draft law was developed by a special commission, led by de facto Vice-President Raul Khajimba.
 
According to the draft law, the citizens of the Republic of Abkhazia are:  

- ethnic Abkhaz, regardless the place of their residence or their citizenship;

- persons, who have been permanently living in Abkhazia for not less than five years following the adoption of the Act on Independence of the Republic of Abkhazia on October 12, 1999;

Citizens of Abkhazia can simultaneously be citizens of the Russian Federation alone, according to the draft. 

These provisions serve to discriminate against almost all ethnic Georgians and persons of other nationalities that left Abkhazia during or after the end of the conflict in 1994.