It has been 36 years since the tragic events when the Soviet army crushed a peaceful protest in Tbilisi. Demonstrators gathered on Rustaveli Avenue, demanding Georgia’s independence, were dispersed by Soviet troops on April 9, 1989, using firearms, entrenching tools, and toxic substances.

Twenty-one people were killed, mostly women. Around two hundred people were hospitalized during and in the first hours after the crackdown, and thousands sought medical help in the following days.

Two years after this tragedy, on April 9, Georgia restored its independence, originally gained in 1918 and lost in 1921 as a result of Soviet occupation.

On April 9, 1991, the Supreme Council adopted the Act of Restoration of the State Independence of Georgia. The adoption was preceded by a referendum held on March 31, 1991, in which 99.08% of participants voted in favor of restoring Georgia’s state independence based on the Act of Independence of May 26, 1918.

Citizens honored the memory of those who died on April 9, 1989, at the memorial located on Rustaveli Avenue in front of the Parliament building.