Social media users considered Abukhba's early release an indirect cause of Bikbova's murder.
Commentators placed part of the responsibility for the murder of tourist Aminat Bikbova in Abkhazia on those who allowed the early release of Edgar Abukhba in the case of the rape and beating of another tourist in 2019. Abukhba's release in 2024 was legal, but he was free without supervision, analysts emphasized.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on September 27, it became known that resident of Abkhazia Edgar Abukhba was detained on suspicion of murdering 26-year-old tourist Aminat Bikbova from the Orenburg region, who had not been in contact with her relatives for three days. According to the investigation, Abukhba confessed to the murder of the girl. On September 29, the Gagra court arrested Abukhba.
In July 2019, Edgar Abukhba took a Russian tourist to an abandoned building in Sukhum, where he raped the girl and beat her with stones. After that, he stole two phones, money, and jewelry worth 70,000 rubles from the tourist. The girl suffered a fracture of the temporal bone and other injuries but survived. The victim's mother testified in court that her daughter was in serious condition for several months. According to her, the convict's family offered them money to withdraw the complaint, but they refused. In 2021, the court sentenced Abukhba to nine years in prison, and in February 2024, he was released. After Abukhba's release, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned about the risks of traveling to Abkhazia, calling the attitude of Abkhaz justice towards the crime excessively lenient.
Commentators criticized the authorities of Abkhazia for Abukhba's early release
On the "Caucasian Knot" Facebook page*, which has about 164,000 followers, two posts about the murder of Aminat Bikbova were published. As of 12:04 Moscow time on September 30, both publications collectively received 730 user reactions and 1,012 comments.
Commentators placed part of the responsibility for Bikbova's murder on those who allowed Abukhba's early release. "Those who let him go should be judged. How could anyone even talk to such a monster, get acquainted... It's all written on his face," said Dilaram Khemrayeva.
"Whoever released him 4.5 years early 'for good behavior' is also guilty," pointed out Irina Dudkina.
"And as long as such [vividly expressive term] are sentenced to a mere 9 years and released halfway through, nothing will change anywhere. Hello, legislators, do you have a reservation for such [vividly expressive term] or what?" wrote Margaret Zakharova.
Other commentators doubted that Abukhba would receive a punishment this time that would prevent his new early release. "What difference does it make, he did his thing, he'll be released in a year, they'll remove the guilt," believes Marina Mikhailova.
"He'll serve half his term in Dranda, then go hunting again. He needs to be in a Russian prison, there he'll understand who he is and what awaits him," wrote Vitaly Nagyrnya.
"Abkhazia will release him in three years for good behavior. He needs to be put in a Russian prison," stated user Rich Cape.
Some discussion participants demanded a punishment that would permanently exclude Abukhba's return to freedom. "This is already a 'sentence', it can't be corrected, give him life and that's it," emphasized Andrey Bat.
"He needs a life sentence to protect people," wrote Lesya Vlasova.
Experts commented on the early release from prison in 2024 of Edgar Abukhba, convicted of attempted murder, who committed the murder of a tourist from Russia at the end of September 2026.
Analysts explained
Political scientist David Dasania noted that the murder outraged the entire population of Abkhazia and emphasized that Abukhba should not have been released early.
"As far as I know, his sentence was halved, justified by the fact that he was a minor at the time of the crime. I believe that such people should be sentenced to life. They might sentence him now, for example, to 15 years. But where is the guarantee that he won't be released in 15 years and commit another murder?" he stated.
Employee of the NGO "Center for Humanitarian Programs" Said Gezerda stated that the case of Abukhba's early release is not unique.
"From recent cases, I can recall the release of Eduard Adleiba under amnesty, who is accused of the brutal murder of his neighbor Rafik Cholakyan and the beating of his wife Lyudmila Matosyan. He was released just recently; this is the most common reason for early release. In Abukhba's case, the Constitutional Court 'helped' by making an unbalanced decision based solely on the convict's age, without considering the severity of the crime. A separate problem is the lack of penitentiary institutions for minors in Abkhazia, and Abukhba was indeed a minor at the time of the crime. There is a complex of problems that the justice system does not notice, although it regularly conducts scientific events," he told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot".
Speaking about the reaction of the Abkhaz Foreign Ministry to the statement of the Russian Foreign Ministry regarding Abukhba's early release in 2024, S. Gezerda noted that the Abkhaz Foreign Ministry "reacted dryly and formally, in the spirit of 'who hasn't had this happen', while the press service of the Supreme Court commented in more detail and formally, referring to the legislation, but there are questions about their arguments.
An expert who has studied Abkhazia for many years and spoke on condition of anonymity noted that formally Abukhba was released in 2024 according to the law.
"He was given nine years, but the problem is that there are no colonies for minors in Abkhazia, only pre-trial detention centers. And a day in a pre-trial detention center counts as two days of imprisonment. Therefore, after the appeal to the Supreme Court, he was released. The other thing is that it is strange that he was not placed under supervision," he noted.
Early releases of individuals convicted of serious crimes are by no means isolated cases, he pointed out. "One can recall the story with the murderers of Russian businessman Sergey Klemantovich. Of all the convicted, only two are currently in prison. The others were released due to health reasons," which, however, did not prevent one of them from dying in a gang shootout in Sukhum some time later. For money, anything is possible. Previously, a transfer from a pre-trial detention center to house arrest cost two million, now it costs three. The main thing is not to stick out too much, as Kalagina did, who was detained for apartment scams – after being transferred to house arrest, she began to demonstratively walk around the city and post photos on social media. As a result, she was locked up again," he said.
Regarding the response to the statement of the Russian Foreign Ministry, the expert said that the Abkhaz Foreign Ministry remained silent, the Supreme Court stated that everything was done in accordance with Abkhaz legislation, and some activists even "advised" Russia to better monitor its criminal chronicle.
All those surveyed noted that they had not heard of any famous relatives of Edgar Abukhba. Dasania noted that although all those bearing the surname "Abukhba" in Abkhazia are relatives, most representatives of this clan live in the Ochamchira district. "And he (Edgar Abukhba – note of the 'Caucasian Knot') probably belongs to the so-called Bzyb Abukhba – the smaller part of the clan," suggested Dasania.