Georgia marks the 37th anniversary of the April 9, 1989, massacre of pro-independence demonstrators on Tbilisi’s Rustaveli Avenue by the Soviet army, which killed 21 people, most of them women, and injured hundreds with poison gas and spades.
Georgia also marks the 35th anniversary of the restoration of its independence on April 9, 1991, two years after the tragedy, when the Supreme Council adopted a declaration of independence based on the results of the March 31, 1991, referendum, in which an overwhelming majority of voters, around 99%, opted for independence from the 70-year Soviet rule. 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 that lasted until Soviet occupation in 1921.
This year’s commemoration comes amid a protracted political crisis in Georgia, marked by Georgian Dream’s crackdown on dissent, ongoing anti-government protests, and the ruling party’s persisting isolation from the country’s traditional Western partners.
All-Night Vigil, Morning Tributes
A group of protesters and activists stayed overnight in the rain in front of the Parliament building, the site of the 1989 massacre. Citizens, officials, and diplomats usually arrive there at the April 9 Memorial to pay tribute to those killed by the Soviet troops in 1989.
Around 8 a.m., U.S. Acting Ambassador to Georgia Alan Purcell arrived at the April 9 Memorial and laid flowers. The U.S. Embassy wrote on social media, “On April 9, we remember the Soviet army’s violence in 1989. Today, 37 years later, we pay tribute to the 21 Georgians who lost their lives and the hundreds who were injured while peacefully demonstrating for Georgia’s freedom.”
Before 9 a.m., ambassadors and representatives from the Nordic-Baltic embassies arrived at the site, laying flowers to honor the victims of the massacre. Anne Toft Sørensen, Denmark’s ambassador, wrote on X: “Today the Nordic-Baltic embassies laid flowers to honor the victims of the tragic events of April 9, 1989, when peaceful demonstrators in Tbilisi were violently dispersed while standing for freedom and independence. Denmark firmly supports Georgia’s sovereignty and independence.”
EU Ambassador to Georgia Pawel Herczyński also visited the memorial around 10:30 a.m. German Ambassador Peter Fischer arrived later in the afternoon to pay tribute. Crowds were heard shouting “Thank you” as they arrived.
Tensions as GD Officials Arrive
Tensions flared at times around the memorial between anti-government protesters and reportedly pro-government citizens, and later government officials. In one incident around 10:40 a.m., several men got involved in a physical and verbal confrontation. Police reportedly arrested at least one citizen.
Georgian Dream officials, who skipped the memorial last year, arrived around 11 a.m. Among them were Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and his cabinet members, Speaker of the disputed Parliament Shalva Papuashvili, GD-elected President Mikheil Kavelashvili, and several MPs.
Minutes before their arrival, police had deployed in large numbers, pushed back protesters, and cleared the area around the memorial, while an honor guard formed a corridor for the officials to approach and pay tribute. Protesters who had been removed shouted “Slaves” and “Russians,” and the GD members’ arrival sparked further discontent among the crowd. After laying flowers, they left without speaking to the press.
More to follow…
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