April 9 – A Georgian Symbol of the Struggle for Freedom

“April 9 reminds us that the struggle for freedom never ends — it continues every day we refuse to accept violence, injustice, and fear,” – Irakli Tevzadze, Secretary General of RICDOG.

“We remember, we protect, and we continue the fight for our values!”

For context, 36 years ago, a horrifying tragedy unfolded in Tbilisi.

In the early hours of April 9, 1989, on Rustaveli Avenue, Soviet punitive forces violently dispersed a peaceful protest.

 • 21 people lost their lives, most of them women, including schoolchildren. In addition, many were injured, and up to 2,000 people were poisoned by an unidentified chemical substance.

Exactly two years after April 9, 1989, the Supreme Council of Georgia, under the leadership of Zviad Gamsakhurdia, adopted the Act of Independence of Georgia.

 • April 9 became etched in Georgia’s modern history as both a day of national tragedy and the day of the country’s restored independence.

 Thus, this bloody day — April 9 — remained in Georgia’s history as a symbol of the great national liberation movement and a tragedy of the Georgian people, which left a profound mark on history and accelerated the collapse of the Soviet empire of evil.