GEORGIA : Separatists Release Interior Minister
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Forces loyal to Georgia’s ousted president released Interior Minister Roman Gventsadze but kept other officials hostage in Abkhazia, a separatist region. At least 10 people were killed by Georgian troops sent to the region to keep the captives from being moved, officials said. Former President Zviad Gamsakhurdia, deposed in January after being accused of dictatorial rule, remains popular in Abkhazia, a region of 500,000 people in western Georgia that declared independence last month.
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