According to Irakli Kupradze, Secretary General of “Lelo – Strong Georgia,” April 9 is a day of mixed emotions.

“There are two April 9s for Georgia - the tragic night of 1989, when 21 people sacrificed their lives for the idea of freedom, and April 9, 1991, when that struggle brought results and Georgia was declared an independent state. Without the heroes of the first April 9, the second, freedom-filled date would not exist.

The sacrifice of these people must be our daily motivation - not only to defend state independence, but also to overcome the mental and spiritual legacy of the Soviet era and truly move toward full independence.

It is especially symbolic that out of the 21 people who died on the night of April 9, 17 were women and 4 were men. Heroic women have never been lacking - they have always stood at the forefront of the struggle, guarding the country’s dignity and freedom. Therefore, alongside independence, we are obliged to fight for women’s empowerment and their freedom.

I still consider April 9 a day marked by sadness, yet celebratory - a day that reminds us of the price of freedom and that preserving it depends not only on remembering the past, but on daily action and responsibility,” Kupradze wrote.

For reference, 37 years have passed since the April 9 tragedy, when Soviet troops dispersed a peaceful demonstration in central Tbilisi, killing 21 people and poisoning thousands with unidentified gas. On April 9, 1991, Georgia declared the restoration of its independence.