Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Saturday said April 9 was a symbol of both “great pain and victory”, and would remain a day of “sacrifice and national pride” for Georgians.
I express my respect for the fallen heroes who set an example of dedication for the next generations and taught us [Georgians] the significance of independence”, Papuashvili noted in his commemorating post of the date when Soviet troops had attacked peaceful protesters in Tbilisi, killing 21 people, including 17 women, and injuring hundreds.
The “whole world” got to know the “proud” Georgians who fought “united” for freedom against the Soviet army on Rustaveli Avenue in central Tbilisi, for their independence and freedom of other republics under the Soviet occupation, Papuashvili stressed.
Georgia’s late first President Zviad Gamsakhurdia announced the restoration of the country’s independence on April 9, 1991, in Parliament, “forever linking the memory of the 21 fallen heroes with the gained freedom”, the Parliament Speaker added.