Georgian Technical University Honored the Memory of Those Who Died in the Struggle for the Country’s Independence on April 9

„For the Georgian Technical University, the fact that students and graduates of our university were among the victims of the April 9 tragedy has a special symbolic meaning. Their civic responsibility, national self-awareness, and readiness to defend the idea of ​​the country’s freedom at the cost of their own lives remain an example of the highest civic dignity. April 9 is a day of historical unity, where tragedy and victory, sacrifice and freedom are etched in the national memory. It is in this context that the study of two of the most important events in the history of Georgia, united on this day, and their transmission to future generations, as a defining phenomenon of national identity, acquires special significance,” – said the Rector of the Georgian Technical University, Academician David Gurgenidze, at the memorial to those who died on April 9.

Rector Academician David Gurgenidze, representatives of the university administration, professors, and students celebrated the Day of the Struggle for Independence and Freedom of Georgia on April 9, 1989, paying tribute to the memory of the fallen and laying a wreath at the Heroes’ Memorial.

According to the GTU rector, April 9 combines the gravity of the national tragedy and the ideal of state revival. As academician David Gurgenidze stated, the sacrifice of life and victory, great pain and hope are concentrated in one date. April 9 presents an opportunity to evaluate the past and an obligation to transform historical experiences into the foundation for future development.

“April 9 is a unique date in the recent history of Georgia, which simultaneously encompasses both the most difficult experience of national tragedy and the most important act of state revival. April 9, 1989, when a violent act was committed against peaceful citizens on Rustaveli Avenue, represents the moral threshold, the crossing of which united the nation around the idea of ​​freedom and independence. The sacrifice of those who died on April 9 laid the groundwork for the country’s subsequent political and social trajectory, shaping its future direction.

Another significant event is the adoption of the Act of Restoration of State Independence of Georgia on April 9, 1991, the legal and political formalization of which was carried out under the leadership of Zviad Gamsakhurdia. This act represented the restoration of historical justice and the continuation of a centuries-old state tradition in the modern era.

In today’s reality, when Georgia – under the leadership of the government, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze – continues on the path of democratic development, European integration, and strengthening of state institutions, April 9 reminds us of the price that the Georgian people paid for freedom; At the same time, it imposes on us the responsibility to take care of independence, develop the state and preserve the values ​​on the basis of which our state sovereignty was restored,” noted

– Academician David Gurgenidze

For information: Georgia is celebrating the 37th anniversary of the April 9 tragedy and the 35th anniversary of the restoration of Georgia’s independence. Five of the heroes who died on April 9: Aza Adamia, Nato Giorgadze, Nino Toidze, Manana Melkadze, and Gia Karseladze were students and graduates of the Georgian Technical University, the then Polytechnic Institute.

On April 9, 1989, at dawn, units of the Soviet Armed Forces dispersed a peaceful protest rally on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi, which claimed the lives of 21 people. In 1991, the first President of Georgia, Zviad Gamsakhurdia, declared April 9 as the Day of Restoration of Georgia’s Independence.