Tamara Shakryl
Encyclopedia
Tamara Shakryl was a linguist
, academic and human rights
campaigner from Abkhazia
.
Shakryl was a senior associate at the Institute for the Study of the Humanities at the Abkhazian Academy of Sciences. She was a strong supporter of Abkhaz independence, and had been sharply critical of major powers and international organizations for demanding that Abkhazia remain a province of Georgia
.
Shakryl was a prominent supporter of presidential candidate Raul Khadjimba
. On November 12, 2004, she was among the supporters of Khadjimba who tried to resist the crowd of Khadjimba's rival candidate Sergei Bagapsh
's supporters who stormed the parliament building as a drawn-out crisis over rigged elections neared its end. Reports of her death vary: some have claimed that guards fired into the air, others that Shakryl was hit by a ricochet. In any case, she was shot, and died in hospital later that day, at the age of 78.
Shakryl's death caused outrage and marked a significant turning point in the political crisis. After her death, Bagapsh changed tactics, urging his supporters to leave the parliament building, but then to remain outside, in a similar tactic to that used successfully in the Orange Revolution
in the Ukraine
several weeks later. Bagapsh's supporters then detained two presidential guards over Shakryl's death, and brought them to the prosecutor's office. Security forces loyal to outgoing president Vladislav Ardzinba
(Khadjimba's mentor) subsequently launched a raid on the prosecutor's office and freed the two men. However, this only exacerbated tension, and resulted in the decision of 2,000 police members
to refuse to follow government orders. In many ways as a result of this crisis, Khadjimba backed down several weeks later, agreeing to run as Bagapsh's deputy in a re-vote.
In January 2006, when the Abkhazian passport
was introduced, Shakryl posthumously received the second passport to be issued, after Vladislav Ardzinba.
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
, academic and human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
campaigner from Abkhazia
Abkhazia
Abkhazia is a disputed political entity on the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the south-western flank of the Caucasus.Abkhazia considers itself an independent state, called the Republic of Abkhazia or Apsny...
.
Shakryl was a senior associate at the Institute for the Study of the Humanities at the Abkhazian Academy of Sciences. She was a strong supporter of Abkhaz independence, and had been sharply critical of major powers and international organizations for demanding that Abkhazia remain a province of Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
.
Shakryl was a prominent supporter of presidential candidate Raul Khadjimba
Raul Khadjimba
Raul Jumka-ipa Khajimba is a politician from Abkhazia, leading the oppositional Forum of the National Unity of Abkhazia. Until 28 May 2009 Khajimba served as Vice President following the power-sharing agreement reached with current president Sergei Bagapsh to end the crisis that followed the...
. On November 12, 2004, she was among the supporters of Khadjimba who tried to resist the crowd of Khadjimba's rival candidate Sergei Bagapsh
Sergei Bagapsh
Sergei Uasyl-ipa Bagapsh was the second President of the Republic of Abkhazia. He was Prime Minister from 1997 to 1999 and was later elected as President in 2005. He was re-elected in the 2009 presidential election...
's supporters who stormed the parliament building as a drawn-out crisis over rigged elections neared its end. Reports of her death vary: some have claimed that guards fired into the air, others that Shakryl was hit by a ricochet. In any case, she was shot, and died in hospital later that day, at the age of 78.
Shakryl's death caused outrage and marked a significant turning point in the political crisis. After her death, Bagapsh changed tactics, urging his supporters to leave the parliament building, but then to remain outside, in a similar tactic to that used successfully in the Orange Revolution
Orange Revolution
The Orange Revolution was a series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005, in the immediate aftermath of the run-off vote of the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election which was claimed to be marred by massive corruption, voter...
in the Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
several weeks later. Bagapsh's supporters then detained two presidential guards over Shakryl's death, and brought them to the prosecutor's office. Security forces loyal to outgoing president Vladislav Ardzinba
Vladislav Ardzinba
Vladislav Grigori-ipa Ardzinba was the first President of Abkhazia. A historian by education, Ardzinba led Abkhazia to de facto independence in the 1992-1993 War with Georgia, but its de jure independence from Georgia remained internationally unrecognised during Ardzinba's two terms as President...
(Khadjimba's mentor) subsequently launched a raid on the prosecutor's office and freed the two men. However, this only exacerbated tension, and resulted in the decision of 2,000 police members
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
to refuse to follow government orders. In many ways as a result of this crisis, Khadjimba backed down several weeks later, agreeing to run as Bagapsh's deputy in a re-vote.
In January 2006, when the Abkhazian passport
Abkhazian passport
The Abkhazian passport is issued to citizens of the Republic of Abkhazia for the purpose of international travel and for the purpose of legal identification within Abkhazia...
was introduced, Shakryl posthumously received the second passport to be issued, after Vladislav Ardzinba.