Zviad Gamsakhurdia

Zviad Gamsakhurdia
ზვიად გამსახურდია
Gamsakhurdia in 1989
1st President of Georgia
In office 26 May 1991 – 6 January 1992
Prime Minister	Murman Omanidze (Acting) Besarion Gugushvili
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Eduard Shevardnadze (1995)
Chairman of the Supreme Council of Georgia
In office 14 November 1990 – 26 May 1991
Preceded by	Irakli Abashidze
Succeeded by	Himself as the Head of state; Akaki Asatiani as the Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia
Personal details
Born	(1939-03-31)31 March 1939 Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union
Died	31 December 1993(1993-12-31) (aged 54) Dzveli Khibula, Georgia
Cause of death	Gunshot wound (disputed cause)
Resting place	Mtatsminda Pantheon
Political party	Round Table—Free Georgia Georgian Helsinki Union Society of St. Ilya the Righteous
Spouses	Dali Lolua ​ (divorced)​ Manana Archvadze-Gamsakhurdia ​ ​ (before 1993)​
Parent	Konstantine Gamsakhurdia (father)
Signature

Zviad Konstantines dze Gamsakhurdia^[a] (Georgian: ზვიად კონსტანტინეს ძე გამსახურდია; Russian: Звиа́д Константи́нович Гамсаху́рдия, romanized: Zviad Konstantinovich Gamsakhurdiya; 31 March 1939 – 31 December 1993) was a Georgian politician, human rights activist,^[1] dissident, professor of English language studies and American literature at Tbilisi State University,^[2] and writer who became the first democratically elected President of Georgia in May 1991.^[3]

A prominent exponent of Georgian nationalism and pan-Caucasianism, Zviad Gamsakhurdia was involved in Soviet dissident movement from his youth. His activities attracted attention of authorities in the Soviet Union and Gamsakhurdia was arrested and imprisoned numerous times. Gamsakhurdia co-founded the Georgian Helsinki Group, which sought to bring attention to human rights violations in the Soviet Union.

He organized numerous pro-independence protests in Georgia, one of which in 1989 was suppressed by the Soviet Army, with Gamsakhurdia being arrested. Eventually, a number of underground political organizations united around Zviad Gamsakhurdia and formed the Round Table—Free Georgia coalition, which successfully challenged the ruling Communist Party of Georgia in the 1990 elections. Gamsakhurdia was elected as the President of Georgia in 1991, gaining 87% of votes in the election. Despite popular support, Gamsakhurdia found significant opposition from the urban intelligentsia and former Soviet nomenklatura, as well as from his own ranks. In early 1992 Gamsakhurdia was overthrown by warlords Tengiz Kitovani, Jaba Ioseliani and Tengiz Sigua, two of which were formerly allied with Gamsakhurdia. Gamsakhurdia was forced to flee to Chechnya, where he was greeted by Chechen president Dzhokhar Dudayev. His supporters continued to fight the post-coup government of Eduard Shevardnadze. In September 1993, Gamsakhurdia returned to Georgia and tried to regain power. Despite initial success, the rebellion was eventually crushed by government forces with the help of the Russian military. Gamsakhurdia was forced into hiding in Samegrelo, a Zviadist stronghold. He was found dead in early 1994 in controversial circumstances. His death remains uninvestigated to this day.

After the civil war ended, the government continued to suppress Gamsakhurdia's supporters, even with brutal tactics. After Eduard Shevardnadze was overthrown during the 2003 Rose Revolution, Gamsakhurdia was rehabilitated by the President Mikheil Saakashvili.

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