Lawmakers in breakaway Abkhazia passed on July 9 a statement condemning broadcasting of a Georgian documentary film on the conflict by the Abkhaz television station.

Authors of “Absence of Will”, documentary produced by Tbilisi-based Studio Re, try to take a critical view of Georgian policies towards Abkhazia and South Ossetian not only in run up to the August war, but also in late 80s and early 90s of last century. (The film is available on this link with English subtitles).

The 50-minute long film was broadcasted by the Sokhumi-based “Abkhaz State TV and Radio Company” on June 23, followed by discussions in the TV studio.

The move by the TV station angered many politicians and public figures in Abkhazia, culminating with the statement of the breakaway region’s legislative body. The statement was passed after the film was screened separately for the lawmakers.

“Broadcast of this film has triggered negative reaction from the significant part of the [Abkhaz] society,” Abkhaz news agency, Apsnipress, quoted the statement by the breakaway region’s parliament.

The statement says that although the film is countering “some of the opinions about the launch of Georgian-Abkhaz war” in early 1990s, by pointing finger at the Georgian leaders “as a source of aggression,” it is not a reason to consider the film as “liberal towards Abkhazia, or anti-Georgian, as some [Abkhaz figures] try to portray it.”

“The film criticizes not the essence of [the Georgian] politics, but only methods of resolving the problem of so called territorial integrity of Georgia.”

“[The film] is ideological bait directed against the Abkhaz people, the Abkhaz statehood and against the Abkhaz-Russian relations,” the statement says, adding that the broadcast of such film through the state television station was “a mistake.”