Georgia’s former president, Salome Zourabichvili, has lashed out at the country’s prime minister after he avoided any mention of the Soviet Union while commemorating the victims of a 1989 massacre, instead attributing the violence to a “foreign power.”
The pro-Europe ex-president also said that “only Russians and their servants bring war and violence,” in apparent reference to the current government, which she regards as being pro-Moscow.
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On Wednesday, Georgia marked the 36th anniversary of the brutal crackdown on April 9, 1989, when Soviet forces violently dispersed a peaceful pro-independence demonstration in Tbilisi, the Georgian capital, killing 21 people and injuring hundreds more.
The troops used toxic gas and beat protesters with spades, with most of the victims being women.
The crackdown is often regarded as a watershed moment in Georgia’s struggle for independence from Soviet rule.
The day holds double significance for Georgians, as just two years later, on the same date in 1991, the Georgian parliament declared independence, following a referendum in which an overwhelming majority of Georgians voted to secede from the USSR.
Commemorations were held across the country on Wednesday to honor the victims of the 1989 massacre, amid ongoing anti-government protests that have persisted for over four months.
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The protests were sparked by a parliamentary election last year marred by allegations of vote rigging that brought the Georgian Dream, a party with alleged pro-Russia leanings, to power.
Its later decision to suspend Georgia’s EU accession talks added further fuel to the anti-government demonstrations. The protesters fear that the government is intent on dragging the country away from the EU and moving it back into Moscow’s sphere of influence.
Protesters held a 24-hour vigil at the memorial dedicated to the victims on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi on Wednesday.
However, Georgia’s prime minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, marked the anniversary with a social media statement that notably omitted any reference to the Soviet Union, sparking widespread condemnation.
He said: “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 triumphed over hatred among Georgians.
“Today, 36 years after the tragedy of April 9, a foreign power is still committing violence on Rustaveli Avenue,” he added, referring to the anti-government protests, which the Georgian Dream party alleges are backed by the West.
He continued: “Today, on Rustaveli Avenue, a foreign power is stirring up hatred, trying to artificially disrupt the unity among Georgians and fighting against the idea of freedom.
‘Only Russians and their servants bring war’
Kobakhidze’s remarks drew sharp criticism from Zourabichvili, Georgia’s former pro-EU president, who responded: “Shame on you—the so-called government of Georgia: those merciless soldiers [who killed Georgians] were not a ‘foreign power,’ but ‘Russians,’ whom you do not even dare to mention!”
She added: “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!”
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