The violent dispersal of a peaceful rally in Tbilisi, with loss of life, hastens the drive to independence.
1989
On the night of 9 April 1989 Soviet troops dispersed a peaceful rally in Tbilisi demanding Georgia's independence.
In the crackdown, with sapper spades and gas, 21 people died, mostly women; hundreds were injured.
The tragedy of 9 April was a turning point: it united the nation and hastened the drive to independence. The day is marked as the Day of National Unity.