Protesters opposing a measure allowing Russians to buy property in the Georgian territory of Abkhazia stormed the separatist republic’s parliament building and presidential office and clashed with police. News reports said eight people were injured in the melee in the regional capital of Sukhumi. Protesters rammed a gate with a truck and streamed in, throwing rocks at police who responded with tear gas. President Aslan Bzhania’s office later said he was removing the measure from consideration. Russian news agencies reported police then left the parliament building but demonstrators remained, demanding the president resign. Russia recognizes Abkhazia as an independent country, but many Abkhazians are concerned the region of about 245,000 people is a client state of Moscow.
