UNM’s Bokuchava says Georgia’s freedom still at risk on April 9 anniversary

Chair of the United National Movement, Tina Bokuchava, on Thursday said Georgia’s freedom and independence remain under threat, as the country marked the 37th anniversary of the April 9 tragedy.

Speaking at the April 9 memorial in the capital city of Tbilisi, Bokuchava said the values for which people sacrificed their lives in 1989 continue to require defence today.

She added that protests in central Tbilisi reflect an ongoing struggle to protect those values, with demonstrators continuing to rally against what they see as risks to the country’s sovereignty.

Bokuchava also claimed that individuals fighting for these principles are currently imprisoned.

“People who are defending these fundamental values are today behind bars,” she said.

The April 9 tragedy marks the violent dispersal of peaceful demonstrators by Soviet troops in 1989, which resulted in 21 deaths and left hundreds injured, and remains a defining moment in Georgia’s path to independence.