9 April – A Day of Remembrance, Resistance & Liberation

Documentary screening and panel discussion at the Pilecki Institute

On April 9, 1989, Soviet troops supported by tanks, crushed a peaceful protest in the center of Tbilisi, killing over 20 unarmed civilians, most of whom were women and students. The Soviet response to the dissatisfaction of Georgians and their demand for independence was marked by the use of brute force and unidentified chemicals. No one was ever held accountable for these atrocities. Just like Prague Spring of 1968, where Soviet tanks silenced the dream of “socialism with a human face”, April 9 exposed the brutal reality of Soviet rule. Yet, two years later, on April 9, 1991, Georgia reclaimed its independence.

Join us for a panel discussion & documentary screening as we remember this day and challenge the myth of reforming the Soviet Union also known as “perestroika.”

Speakers:

• Zaal Andronikashvili – Publicist, literary scholar at the ZfL
• Nino Lejava – Head of the Belgrade office of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung
• Oliver Reisner – Pprofessor in European and Caucasian Studies at Ilia State University Tbilisi (Georgia)