TBILISI, August 14 (RIA Novosti) - More than a thousand people have gathered for a rally at Tbilisi' race track to mark 13 years since a war in Abkhazia, a self-proclaimed republic in Georgia, broke out.

Activists from the By Ourselves political organization and the Green Party organized the rally to remind people that refugees from Abkhazia and South Ossetia, another breakaway region in the South Caucasus state, had not had the opportunity to return to their homes since the war ended in 1993 and to call on international organizations to help solve the problem.

"We want to show the world that we, refugees from Abkhazia and South Ossetia, are alive and want to get back home," By Ourselves leader Paata Davitaya said. The activist added that the party demanded trial over war criminals and compensations for refugees and it would submit these demands to the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and other organizations.

Abkhazia declared its independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union. A bloody conflict that followed led to 10,000 people being killed on both sides and the exodus of 300,000 refugees from the region.