Protests in Georgian separatist region block bridges to capital

Protesters have blocked bridges leading to the capital of the Georgian separatist region of Abkhazia as tensions flared in a dispute over a proposed law that would encourage Russian investment

TBILISI, Georgia -- Protesters on Tuesday blocked bridges leading to the capital of the Georgian separatist region of Abkhazia as tensions flared in a dispute over a proposed law that would encourage Russian investment.

News reports said that police and protesters clashed at one of the bridges, but there were no immediate reports of injuries.

Abkhazia is a region of about 245,000 people that had been largely under separatist control since the end of a war in 1993. Georgia lost control of the rest of the region in the short 2008 war with Russia.

Russia now formally recognizes Abkhazia as independent, but many of the region's residents are concerned about economic and political pressure from its giant northern neighbor.

The trouble broke out Monday after Abkhazia's parliament discussed a proposed law that would allow Russians to purchase land and property in Abkhazia, whose mountains and Black Sea beaches make it a popular tourist destination for Russians.

Five opponents of the bill were detained after the session, according to Russian and Georgian news reports, although what actions sparked the detentions weren't clear. Protesters demanding their release and objecting to the proposed law gathered at the republic's security services headquarters in the capital, Sukhumi.

The bridge blockades began during the night.

Abkhazian President Aslan Bzhania said Tuesday that unspecified efforts were underway to unblock the bridges and “the law enforcement agencies of Abkhazia have sufficient forces and resources to ensure security and law and order in the country."