Georgian Dream Chair Ivanishvili speaks on unclear death of first president Gamsakhurdia

First President of Georgia Zviad Gamsakhurdia with Mother Theresa. Photo from Giorgi Kalandia's personal collection. 

Agenda.ge, 29 Mar 2019 - 18:11, Tbilisi,Georgia

The Chairman of Georgian Dream  Bidzina Ivanishvili has spoke on the eve of what would have been the 80th birthday of Georgia’s first president, Zviad Gamsakhurdia. 

Ivanishvili said that Gamsakhurdia’s birthday, March 31, would remind Georgians of the country’s ‘forgotten pain’ which should be analysed. 

Ivanishvili says the day will bring back forgotten pain, adding the Georgians should properly analyze the past that begins with the tragic story of the first Georgian president.

How come the person who made many generations’ dream come true and declared the independence of Georgia died tragically [having become] a refugee…” says Ivanishvili.

He stated that the circumstances of Zviad Gamsakhurdia’s death still remain uninvestigated.

Everything should be called by its name,’ he added.

Today Bidzina Ivanishvili also visited the village of Khibula and told locals that a Zviad Gamsakhurdia Museum will open there. 

First President of independent Georgia Zviad Gamsakhurdia died in circumstances that are still unclear in Khibula, in the Samegrelo region of western Georgia and later was re-buried in the village of  Jikhashkari of the same region.

The house in Khibula where Zviad Gamsakhurdia spent last days of his life. Photo: Radio Liberty.

Based on reports, his body was found with a single bullet wound to the head.

Several of Gamsakhurdia’s guards claimed that the first president committed suicide. However, Gamsakhurdia’s family strongly oppose this account of events and say that he was killed.

Gamsakhurdia was overthrown in a coup in 1992 and was trying to return to power when he was killed.