Gamsakhurdia 'was murdered'

The son of the former Georgian president Zviad Gamsakhurdia was quoted as saying his father had been murdered, although the authorities and the dead leader's wife said he committed suicide on 31 December, Reuter reports from Paris. Gamsakhurdia died in mysterious circumstances after leading a failed armed rebellion against Eduard Shevardnadze. His wife, Manana, said he killed himself when cornered by government troops, but his son, Konstantin, told Le Monde: 'While I still do not know the exact circumstances of my father's death, I know one thing: it was a political murder.'