In Response to Gabriel Chubinidze's Misleading Article on Prof. George Hewitt and AbkhazWorld.com

Gabriel Chubinidze, in his recent article on Civil.ge, expresses concern over Prof. George Hewitt being invited to participate in the International Kartvelological Congress IV, scheduled to take place on 25-27 September 2024 at the Georgian Academy of Sciences. The article is rife with inaccuracies and distortions, including the baseless claim that AbkhazWorld.com was founded by Prof. Hewitt. Chubinidze’s discomfort with Hewitt's inclusion seems to shape much of the article’s narrative.

Let's begin by quoting George Hewitt from the very letter that Chubinidze references—his 1989 open letter. Hewitt writes: "I believe I have earned the right to ask you not to forget the Georgian proverb ‘Criticise your friend to his face, your enemy behind his back’ as you read this letter."

It is well known that Georgian nationalists, like Chubinidze, rarely possess the courage to confront their targets directly. Instead, they choose to hide behind their pens and platforms, spewing ignorance with all the confidence that the Dunning-Kruger effect affords. Chubinidze is no exception, as he exemplifies this attitude throughout his poorly constructed article.

First, let me correct a blatant falsehood: AbkhazWorld.com was not founded by George Hewitt; it was founded by me, Metin Sönmez, or if you prefer, by my Circassian surname, Metin Kodzoko. This is no secret—my name is openly attached to numerous projects under the AbkhazWorld banner, easily verifiable with a simple online search. The author, however, seems incapable of conducting even this basic level of research. So to set the record straight, the website has no affiliation with George Hewitt, aside from being honoured to host some of his esteemed academic work. Prof. Hewitt is a respected friend and an invaluable source of advice, support, and intellectual insight for many of the projects I undertake.

When I came across this article on Civil.ge, I shared it with Prof. Hewitt via WhatsApp. He was much amused to learn that among historian Gabriel Chubinidze’s numerous misapprehensions is his belief that he was attacking an American! He also wishes to point out that his 1989 Open Letter was composed in Georgian and only later translated into English for the benefit of those unfamiliar with the Georgian language.

[Moreover, when the article was first published, Prof. Hewitt was referred to as an "American linguist." This error was later corrected (one can only wish Georgians would correct all their mistakes this swiftly…). Fortunately, nothing on the internet ever truly disappears, and the original version of the article can still be viewed here.]

Chubinidze’s attempt to invoke Pavle Ingorokva’s long-discredited theories as if they were merely a relic of the past is laughable—he states, “This theory had many flaws and was largely rejected by Georgian historians, though it was extremely popular in Georgian historiography at the time.” Anyone with a passing interest in history, and who follows our social media channels, will know that Georgian trolls regularly flood our pages with absurd claims that the “real” Abkhazians were actually a Georgian tribe and that modern Abkhazians only arrived in Abkhazia in the 17th century. Chubinidze appears to be oblivious to the fact that a large segment of his fellow nationals still wholeheartedly subscribe to this nonsense.

He goes on to claim that Hewitt has somehow espoused a “radical theory” suggesting that Georgians were never historically present in Abkhazia. As someone who has read much of Hewitt’s work, I can assure you that this is simply untrue. If Chubinidze—or anyone for that matter—can produce a single instance of such a claim from Hewitt or Abkhaz scholars, I challenge them to provide it. I won’t hold my breath.

If you find it appropriate, it is also worth noting that virtually all of George Hewitt’s most recent publications have been concerned with Kartvelian (specifically Georgian and Laz) topics, as illustrated by the covers of the seven relevant books he has published in recent years.

I won’t waste the readers’ time further with the delusional rantings of Chubinidze and other Georgian nationalists suffering from Dunning-Kruger syndrome. Were it not for the fact that AbkhazWorld.com was mentioned, I wouldn’t have even bothered to respond. For those interested, you can read George Hewitt’s 1989 Open Letter to the Georgian People and many of his other works on our website and judge for yourselves.

Metin Sönmez
Independent Researcher. Founder / administrator of www.circassianworld.com (2005-2017), founder and administrator of www.abkhazworld.com - www.reflectionsonabkhazia.net