Vladislav Ardzinba | |
|---|---|
| Владислав Арӡынба | |
 Ardzinba in 1996 | |
| 1st President of Abkhazia | |
| In office 26 November 1994 – 12 February 2005 | |
| Vice President | Valery Arshba |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Sergei Bagapsh |
| First Secretary of the Communist Party of Abkhazia | |
| In office 8 November 1990 – 27 December 1991 | |
| Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of Abkhazia | |
| In office 1990–1994 | |
| Deputy of the Supreme Soviet | |
| In office 1987–1989 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 14 May 1945 Lower Eshera, Sukhumi District, Abkhazian ASSR, Georgian SSR, USSR |
| Died | 4 March 2010 (aged 64) Moscow, Russia |
| Nationality | Abkhaz |
| Political party | Apsny |
| Spouse | Svetlana Jergenia |
| Signature |  |
Vladislav Ardzinba (Abkhaz: Владислав Арӡынба, Georgian: ვლადისლავ არძინბა; 14 May 1945 – 4 March 2010) was the first de facto 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 from 1994 to 2005. His government orchestrated ethnic cleansing of Georgian civilians in Abkhazia in 1993.[1]
A noted specialist in Hittitology, he was a member of the first parliament to be elected democratically in the Soviet Union in 1989.[2]
- ^ "Vladislav Ardzinba, Once Led Abkhazia, Dies at 64". The New York Times. 5 March 2010.
By late 1993, after the Georgian Army left Abkhazia, Mr. Ardzinba's government orchestrated an ethnic cleansing campaign that resulted in the expulsion of about 250,000 ethnic Georgians, more than half of Abkhazia's population.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
First Abkhaz Leader Ardzinba Dead at 64was invoked but never defined (see the help page).