Georgians Commemorate Victims of April 9 Massacre

Georgia marks the 36th anniversary of the April 9, 1989 massacre of pro-independence demonstrators in Tbilisi by the Soviet Army, in which 21 people were killed and hundreds injured by poison gas used by Soviet troops. Most of the victims were women beaten to death by the troops with spades. Up to 4,000 people were injured.

April 9 also marks the restoration of Georgia’s independence, as on this day in 1991, the Supreme Council of Georgia passed a declaration of independence based on the results of the March 31, 1991 referendum, in which an overwhelming majority of Georgians voted to secede from the Soviet Union. The April 9 Act proclaimed the independence restoration based on the Act of Independence of Georgia of 26 May 1918, which established the Democratic Republic of Georgia – occupied by the Soviets during 1921-1991.

This year’s commemoration took place against a backdrop of deepening political polarization, protracted civic resistance to the ruling Georgian Dream party repression, and U-turn on European integration. For over four months, anti-regime protests have continued across the country, with demonstrators protesting against what they describe as a state capture and the systematic dismantling of democratic institutions, civil liberties, and freedom of expression.

All-night Vigil at the April 9 Memorial

Members of the recently established public movement For the Freedom of Prisoners of Conscience staged a 24-hour protest vigil at the April 9 Memorial in Tbilisi, which started on the evening of April 8.

In a released video statement, the movement referred to ruling Georgian Dream party officials as “representatives of the Russian regime” and vowed to prevent them from approaching the memorial. The group pledged to disrupt the GD’s “hypocritical ceremonies” at the site.

At dawn – symbolically at 4:00 a.m., the exact time Soviet forces launched their brutal crackdown 36 years ago – the vigil included the prayer service and collective oath at the memorial, which was read by renowned opera singer Paata Burchuladze.

The oath read: “Before the martyred souls who watch over us today, we swear to protect what they achieved, to defend Georgia’s independence, to stand by every fighter, every prisoner of conscience. We will not abandon those persecuted for the truth… With words and with actions, with love, we will extend a hand to them and their families. We will stand by one another. We will fight to the end for the freedom of this country and its people. May God be our helper in this great struggle.”

Kobakhidze’s Controversial Statement

As the protesters of the anti-regime resistance remain after an all-night vigil on Rustaveli Avenue, the GD authorities have not appeared at the April 9 memorial to pay tribute to those killed by Soviet troops.

GD’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze marked the occasion with a social media statement but conspicuously avoided any reference to Soviet Russia – the perpetrator of the 1989 massacre, which caused great resonance and condemnation among part of the population. Instead, the statement referred several times to “a foreign power” as the perpetrator of the violence on April 9, 1989.

“April 9 is the day when a foreign power committed violence against our fellow citizens. At the same time, April 9 is the day that united Georgia, the day when love overcame hate. It is also the day when freedom triumphed over slavery. ” Kobakhidze wrote.

The statement further reads: “Today, 36 years after the tragedy of April 9, the foreign power is again committing violence on Rustaveli Avenue. Even today, foreign power is stirring up hatred on Rustaveli Avenue, trying to artificially divide the unity of Georgians and fighting against the value of freedom. But the experience of April 9 has taught us that the existence of a foreign power is short, and love and freedom will definitely triumph over hatred and slavery.”

“Today, on Rustaveli Avenue, a foreign power attempted to provoke violence, and when it failed to do so, resorted to violence itself. We will not fuel hatred any further, and we will shield our country from even the smallest provocation orchestrated by a foreign power,” the statement says.

The GD government issued an identical statement.

President Zurabishvili’s Response

President Salome Zurabishvili rebuked Kobakhidze for avoiding naming Soviet Russia as the culprit of the massacre and attributing responsibility for the April 9 massacre to a “foreign power.”

“April 9 is the day of the brutal and merciless crackdown carried out by Russian troops! April 9 is the day of victory for Georgia’s peaceful struggle! Only Russians and their servants bring war and violence! No to the Russian war! No to Russian violence! Peace, belief in the future, freedom, and independence will prevail! Glory to the heroes!” Zurabishvili wrote.

“Shame on you – the so-called government of Georgia: those mericeless soldiers [who killed Georgians] were not a ‘foreign power,’ but ‘Russians,’ whom you do not even dare to mention!” President said.

GD Parliament Leaders Echo Kobakhidze’s Rhetoric

Later in the day, the speaker of the rump GD parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, echoed Kobakhidze’s narrative on “foreign power” in his Facebook post, naming as the culprits of the massacre “General Rodionov’s soldiers”. He also failed to mention on whose orders the punitive operation was executed.

“Even in 1989, there were differences of opinion – even during elections and the referendum. But the people drew conclusions. History showed us what came from recklessness and what was fueled by outside instigation. Today, again, a foreign power seeks to undermine our state, to divide us, to impose its agenda under the guise of our national interest,” Papuashvili wrote.

“In 1989, Rodionov’s soldiers tried to do this, but they could not sever the idea of independence. Today, on Rustaveli Avenue, Rodionov’s shovel-wielding soldiers have been replaced by flag-waving, homeland-less individuals under foreign banners – who, with the same ruthlessness, are trying to dismantle the idea of Georgian independence. But that won’t work anymore. The Georgian people have learned the lesson. They learned it, and they elected a government that will fully defend our state,” the GD Parliament speaker outlined,” wrote Papuashvili.

GD parliamentary majority leader Mamuka Mdinaradze also took to social media, claiming that the protesters gathered outside the April 9 memorial are led by the “Russian bass,” Paata Burchuladze, in an apparent reference that Burchuladze became a famous opera singer during the Soviet Union era.

“36 years ago, we Georgians stood on Rustaveli and fought for independence. This fight continues to this day! After 36 years, there are still people who, led by the Russian bass (as he calls himself), Paata Burchuladze, stand on Rustaveli and fight for depending on others. Georgia will never surrender its freedom again!” Mdzinaradze maintained.

Ruling party MPs Nino Tsilosani and Dimitri Samkharadze, along with GD’s Defense Minister Irakli Chikovani, also commented on April 9 on social media. However, like the GD’s PM, none of them mentioned Russia as the author of the massacre.

Tensions at the Memorial

On April 9, a group of protesters gathered at the April 9 Memorial in Tbilisi prevented several individuals affiliated with the GD party from approaching the site. Among those turned away were Tbilisi City Council’s Gldani majoritarian member Konstantine Zarnadze, Rector of the Georgian Technical University Davit Gurgenidze, and an unidentified man draped in a Georgian Dream flag.

U.S. Ambassador Robin Dunnigan and the representatives of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland laid flowers at the April 9 Memorial in a show of solidarity and remembrance. In a similar gesture, German Ambassador Peter Fischer laid a wreath in front of the Parliament to honor the victims and those injured on April 9, 1989.

This news may be updated…

Also Read:

• 09/04/2024 – Georgia Commemorates April 9 Victims Massacred by Soviet Troops
• 09/04/2024 – International Community Commemorates April 9 Victims Massacred by Soviet Troops
  

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)