Georgian PM hails National Hero Merab Kostava’s “dedication” on anniversary of death
On October 13, 1989, two years before Georgia’s proclamation of the restoration of its independence from the Soviet Union, Merab Kostava died in a car accident under unclear circumstances.
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Georgian prime minister Irakli Garibashvili on Thursday praised the “huge contribution” of National Hero Merab Kostava to the country’s independence on the 33rd anniversary of his death.
Garibashvili said Kostava, “one of the most prominent figures” of the national liberation movement of the late Soviet years, would be “eternally remembered” for his struggles.
On this day in 1989, Georgia lost one of its outstanding sons, the embodiment of true Georgian character - dignity, strength and dedication to the motherland”, said the prime minister.
Born in 1939 in Tbilisi, Kostava graduated from the State Conservatoire in 1962 and worked as a teacher at a local music school between 1962-1977. In 1954, together with Zviad Gamsakhurdia - the eventual first president of Georgia - he founded the Georgian youth underground organisation Gorgasliani.
PM Garibashvili said that Kostava was a role model of devotion to the motherland. Photo: government of Georgia press office.
Their activities as part of the group led to their jailing by the Soviet KGB in 1956 for “anti-Soviet activity”, with charges against Kostava and Gamsakhurdia including dissemination of anti-communist literature and proclamations.
In 1973, Kostava and Gamsakhurdia established a group for the protection of human rights, with the former arrested again in 1977 and charged with dissemination of “anti-Soviet propaganda”.
Deported to Siberia to serve his sentence, following his return Kostava co-founded the Society of Saint Ilia the Righteous and was one of the leaders of the pro-independence political organisation.
In addition to these activities, Kostava was also a co-publisher of the Georgian underground periodical journal Okros Satsmisi, which featured works by writers and poets banned by the Communist censorship.
On October 13, 1989, two years before Georgia’s proclamation of the restoration of its independence from the Soviet Union, Kostava died in a car accident under unclear circumstances. He was posthumously awarded the title and order of the National Hero of Georgia in 2013.
While celebrating its Independence Day today, Georgia also marks the 83rd anniversary of the birth of Merab Kostava, the late National Hero of Georgia and one of the leaders of the national liberation movement in the country during the late Soviet years.
Prime Minister of Georgia on Thursday paid tribute to the memory of Zviad Gamsakhurdia, the late first President of the country.
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Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Sunday honoured the memory of the victims of the April 9, 1989 tragedy, the “heroes, who paved the way for freedom at the cost of their own lives”.
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