Symbol of fight against Russian occupation Data Vanishvili posthumously awarded medal of Civil Dedication

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has posthumously awarded Georgian citizen Data Vanishvili, the symbol of fight against Russian occupation, for his civil dedication.

 Data Vanishvili’s name entered our history. He is a symbol of the injustice and unbearable situation in which our compatriots live on the both sides of the occupation line. Today, on the 30th anniversary of  Independence Referendum Day, I would like to present the Presidential Medal to Data Vanishvili’s family as a sign of our greatest respect and hope that we will overcome this situation, Georgia will be united and people will be at peace in their villages, they will no longer have to endure this injustice”, said Salome Zurabishvili.

The ceremony of awarding Vanishvili the medal of Civil Dedication was held at the Orbeliani Palace which is the current presidential residence.

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Data Vanishvili, also known as Data Papa, who has lived for about eight years isolated on the other side of the Administrative Boundary Line in the Russia-occupied Georgian village of Khurvaleti, died on March 19.

Data Papa has become a symbol of Russian occupation in Georgia because of his story of being isolated from the rest of Khurvaleti village by a barbed wire fence.

Back in 2011 Data Papa woke up to find that a barbed wire fence installed by Russian border guards had cut his house off from the rest of Georgia.

Vanishvili always spoke loudly about the injustice and was not afraid of the Russian occupiers.