C A L E N D A R | 2 0 1 1

his calendar has been created within a Soviet Past Re-search Laboratory project Topography of the Red Terror and is being carried out with the financial support of the Tbilisi Project Office of the Institute for International Co-

operation of the German Adult Education Association (dvv interna-tional) and the Heinrich Boell Foundation South Caucasus Regional Office. At the first stage of the project it is planned to identify and investigate the houses, buildings and streets in the old part of Tbilisi, in particular within Mtatsminda-Sololaki districts, as this is where the most significant process of the Soviet period social life, known as Stalin’s repressions, took place.

These sites, with their precise addresses provide a route, a map, that clearly reflects the everyday life and political climate of the society at that period. This local knowledge indicates that to fully understand the period on the Red Terror we should study the core issues which are difficult and require a complex approach. It tells us about the city and its citizens, who created the Soviet system, society, its space and history.

The sites identified for the calendar have been selected from the list of buildings incorporated in the Red Terror Topography routes prepared by the Soviet Past Research Laboratory. The sites are ar-ranged according to the months of the year; therefore, there are 12 addresses that were logically linked to the particular month. These

are the places where those who became victims of the totalitarian regime spent their last hours of freedom or life; the houses where those representing the system lived, some of whom later became the victims of the same system, though some served the punitive bod-ies until the end. The calendar also introduces the state institutions where the repressions were planned and carried out.

The city is undergoing permanent change, people are changing, names disappear together with houses and buildings. They take with them memories, information and documents about our recent past.

The calendar designed within the Topography of the Red Terror project aims to arouse interest about the recent history of Georgia, to preserve whatever is still available, to reconstruct the forgotten or neglected importance of those houses and names who live among us, and to which we simply have never paid attention.

Soviet Past Research Laboratory

T

1. 5SHIOCHITADZEST–HOUSEOFGIORGIELIAVA

2. 22PAVLEINGOROKVAST–THESPECIALINVESTIGATIONCOMMISSIONOFGEORGIA

3. 46LADOASATIANIST–HOUSEOFKONSTANTINE(KOTE)ABKHAZI

4. 17GALAKTIONIST–HOUSEOFSERGO(GRIGOL)ORJONIKIDZE

5. 11PETRECHAIKOVSKIST–HOUSEOFELISABED(LIZIKO)KAVTARADZE

6. 3MIKHEILLERMONTOVST–HOUSEOFSIMON(SIMONIK)FIRUMOV

7. 11IVANEMACHABELIST–THEWRITERS'HOUSE/THEGEORGIANWRITERS’UNION/SUICIDEPLACEOFPAOLOIASHVILI

8. 14MIKHEILLERMONTOVST–HOUSEOFALEXANDREMOROZOV

9. 30ALEKSANDREGRIBOEDOVST–HOUSEOFABBESHULMAN

10. 43DZMEBIZUBALASHVILEBIST–HOUSEOFPOLIKARPE(BUDU)MDIVANI

11. 7VAKHTANGKOTETISHVLIST–HOUSEOFVAKHTANGKOTETISHVILI

12. 11GERONTIKIKODZEST–HOUSEOFEVGENIMIKELADZE

Other buildings included in the Red Terror Topography Tour The buildings included in the calendar and the Red Terror Topography Tour

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

JANUARY

1919:"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is honoured to inform you that the Chief of the Intercity Central Bacteriological Laboratory of Georgian Republic, Giorgi Grigol Eliava will be seconded to the Institut Pasteur in Paris to develop his field of expertise. We would like to request your full protection and support of the aforementioned person in his work and stay in Paris1."

1937: "According to G. Eliava’s statement, Budu Mdivani proposed com-mitting a terrorist attack on Beria using bacteriological microbes. Eliava rejected this proposal2."

1937: "the “scientist” Eliava carried out loathsome subversive activity on people. He answered the patronage and Stalinist care of scientists by a loathsome activity: according to blood-thirsty fascist-trotsykist directives

he prepared bacteria to slaughter Soviet people, especially in case of war. The beast got what he deserved3."

1992: "he was not able to hide his negative attitude towards L. Beria. G. Eliava was particularly annoyed by Beria’s amateurish statements about literature and art … made fun of his attempt to give advice to creative intel-ligentsia. I can even recollect the following: once batoni (Mr) Giorgi his secretary Nino Karalashvili and I were travelling by car. Beria’s car almost crashed into us. Both cars survived. I asked – "Batono (Mr), Giorgi, why didn’t you say hello to him?" He answered: "I don’t care!4"

5SHIOCHITADZESTREET

RESIDENT:GIORGIGRIGOLELIAVA

(1892-1937).

CHIEFOFTBILISIBACTERIOPHAGESCIENTIFIC

RESEARCHINSTITUTE.

ARRESTEDON23JANUARY1937

January 1-2 – New Year’s EveJanuary 7 – Christmas (25th January according to Julian Calendar)January 19 – Baptism day of Jesus

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY

1.FELIX DANELIA. GIORGI ELIAVA. SAKARTVELOS

SAMEDICINO MOAMBE (MEDICAL MESSENGER OF

GEORGIA), 1992. #2, P. 59

A LETTER FROM MINISTER (DEPUTY) OF FOREIGN

AFFAIRS OF INDEPENDENT GEORGIAN REPUBLIC

COMRADE N. KARTSIVADZE (A VICTIM OF

POLITICAL REPRESSION IN 1937) TO DIPLOMATIC

MISSION IN PARIS, 1919, 31 OCTOBER.

2.MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS ARCHIVE

OFFICE (1ST DEPARTMENT), F. N6, S. N36224-07,

V. 9, P. 82.

3.KOMUNISTI, 1937, 11 JULY, #157 (4958).

4.FELIX DANELIA. GIORGI ELIAVA. SAKARTVELOS

SAMEDICINO MOAMBE (MEDICAL MESSENGER OF

GEORGIA), 1992. #2, P. 64. FROM THE MEMORIES

OF ELENE GIORGI MAKASHVILI.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28

SEITSARDIONDEVDARIANI2. 1920: "In the days of Denikin’s entry (occupation) society initiated the establishment of a commission that consisted of various organisations. This commission started the search of those dreadful premises. The shot bodies were retrieved from base-ments, dug up those carelessly buried around the houses. We saw the signs of torture on the bodies – broken bones, severed parts, fragments of skin, nails in fingernails, heads. Some, according to the doctors, were buried while still alive… the CheKa turned into the state within a state, it worked by itself and for itself …This was the place for all the dregs of the society to get together… the CheKa does not have an equivalent in any previous revolutions; in the future, it will take its deserved place among medieval institutions3."

1923: "I saw Ruben’s4 letter. A couple of words are written there about

me as well: He was convinced that there is a far-reaching crisis in the party and started to look for new routes. These two words - new routes - he uses in brackets. By brackets I understand that my new, perhaps, turned out to be old and this route has only brought me to the CheKa. …Some people will say about my letter that now I am looking for a possibility to leave the CheKa. As God is my witness, no. I feel perfectly well. I am wonderfully equipped for ideological work. I am not free, though without the help of the CheKa, I would have never had so much free time. I would gladly use this time for some cultural social activity, as if I am not mistaken, I can still do something useful other than cursing the Bolsheviks5."

22PAVLEINGOROKVA(PETREDIDI)STREET

ATTHEMEETINGHELDON26FEBRUARY

1921(MINUTESN3),THEREVOLUTIONARY

COMMITTEEOFGEORGIANSOVIETSOCIALIST

REPUBLICGRANTEDTHEFORMERPREMISES

OFTHEFRENCHREPRESENTATIONTOTHE

SPECIALINVESTIGATIONCOMMISSIONOF

GEORGIA(GRUZCHEKA1)FOUNDEDACCORD-

INGTODECREEN1OF25FEBRUARY.

FEBRUARY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY

1.GRUZINSKAYA CHREZVYCHAYNAYA KOMISSIYA

– EXTRAORDINARY COMMISSION OF GEORGIA

2.SEIT DEVDARIANI (1879-1937), A SOCIAL

DEMOCRAT, WAS IN KHARKOV DURING THE

1917 FEBRUARY REVOLUTION. HE HAD BEEN A

MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE AND

CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY SINCE 1918. THEN

HE WAS THE SECRETARY OF THE GEORGIAN

SOCIAL-DEMOCRATIC PARTY’S ILLEGAL CENTRAL

COMMITTEE IN 1921–23. HE WAS ARRESTED IN

1923 AND RELEASED AT THE BEGINNING OF 1924.

HE CARRIED ON HIS POLITICAL AND SCIENTIFIC

WORK TILL 1937. HE WAS SHOT IN 1937.

3.SEIT DEVDARIANI. HOW THEY LIVED IN

THE SOVIET RUSSIA. CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY

PROPAGANDA COMMISSION PUBLICATION. CITY

UNION PRINTING HOUSE, TBILISI, 2 PUSHKIN

STREET, 1920.

4.RUBEN (PARTY PSEUDONYM) – RUBEN GUKAS

MKRTICHIAN (1894-1938) WAS A FORMER

WARRANT OFFICER, BOLSHEVIK REVOLUTIONARY.

SECRETARY OF TBILISI COMMITTEE OF GEORGIAN

COMMUNIST PARTY.

5. KOMUNISTI 29 DECEMBER, N299, 1923. THE

LETTER IN QUESTION WAS WRITTEN BY SEIT

DEVDARIANI WHILE IN CHEKA INCARCERATION

IN 1923.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

1923: "Erkomaishvili said: Alexandre Javakhishvili did not manage to dismiss any charge brought against him by the Commission of Inspection and the Committee … he blames the whole Board including Sh. Karumid-ze, except K. Apkhazi, who is known as an honest and hard-working man; as for other Board members, they showed complete incompetence, lack of energy and indifference2."

1923: "I am not able to add anything to my previous statements, except for the following: the local rebellions I explain not by the influence of parties from the centre, but by the psychological condition of the masses, those masses whose century-long concepts collapsed. The po-litical movement did not have the leaders. I feel guilty of the fact that I accepted the post of the chairman of the National Democratic Party Central Committee, though I would like to admit that the only reason for

this was my wish to try and prevent any rebellion3…"

1923: "On 31 May at 2 pm, while I happened to be in Istanbul, one Geor-gian passed a newspaper Komunisti from the ship, and I read about execu-tion of my best friends and acquaintances… It is very hard for me to enu-merate everybody. I will draw up a list and provide you with it… Could you please order a requiem? If you can find a Georgian priest, a church requiem is better of course. There were 15 people executed altogether. They are all our people… You can probably see which political group they belonged to. They say 12 more people are to be executed4."

46LADOASATIANI(BEBUTOVI)STREET

RESIDENT:KONSTANTINE(KOTE)

NIKOLOZAPKHAZI(1867-1923).

DEPUTYTOTHECHAIRMANOFTHEBOARD

OFALLGEORGIASHEPHERDS’COOPERATIVE

SHEPHERD.HEWASARRESTEDON3MARCH

1923,BYORDEROFATRANSCAUCASIA

SECRETPOLICE(ZAKCHEKA)WARRANT1N36.

March 3 – Mother’s DayMarch 8 – International Women’s Day

MARCH MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY

1.ZAKAVKAZSKAYA CHREZVYCHAYNAYA KOMIS-

SIYA – TRANSCAUCASIAN EXTRAORDINARY

COMMISSION

2.CENTRAL STATE ARCHIVE OF RECENT HISTORY

OF GEORGIA (SUITSA), FUND N392, LIST N1, CASE

N1. (MINUTES OF THE ALL GEORGIA SHEPHERDS’

COOPERATIVE SHEPHERD AUTHORIZED REPRESEN-

TATIVE’S MEETING, 26-27 FEBRUARY, 1923)

3.KIRTADZE NESTAN (ELISABED), CAIN, WHERE

IS YOUR BROTHER?!... (BLOODSTAINED PAGES

OF GEORGIAN HISTORY); 1921-1930), MERANI,

TBILISI 1998. P.61. AN EXCERPT FROM THE

EXECUTION MINUTES OF KOTE APKHAZI. HE WAS

INTERROGATED BY PETROSIAN ON 12 MAY 1923.

HE WAS SHOT ON 20 MAY 1923.

4.SPIRIDON KEDIA. FROM PRIVATE ARCHIVE,

TBILISI, 2007. PP.23-24; SPIRIDON KEDIA’S LETTER

TO GRIGOL VESHAPELI, 1/VI/23, ISTANBUL.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

17-25April,1923, in Moscow, the 12th Congress of the (Bolshevik) Communist Party of Russia, finally rebuked the activities of the so-called national deviationist group that existed in the Communist Party of Geor-gia, due to the direct efforts of Sergo (Grigol) Konstantine Orjonikidze and Ioseb Besarion Stalin (Jughashvili).

1923: "Mdivani1 describes the situation so that, though he was summoned, he is still the winner. In this case I do not know what we can call a failure. Even though we know that blessed Don Quixote thought he was the win-ner, when in reality he was defeated by the windmills. To my mind, some comrades who work in one part of the Soviet territory, called Georgia, have some problems with their brains2."

1924: "It is not necessary to hide the fact that the state of affairs within the Georgian Party concerns not only the Georgian Communist Party or the Transcaucasia organisation, but also our All-Union Party, and it is even an international issue. All our discussions and documents were published in Socialisturi Vesniki3 after several weeks. Chkhenkeli4 in his memorandum to the government of England points at the disagreement in our Georgian party and speculates about it. In one of his articles Devdariani5 wrote that we, the Menshevik Central Committee, decided to find common interests with the Deviationists, send public figures on mission and try to negotiate with them. When their leader, the bandit Khomeriki6 arrived, he announced at his meeting that they are going to implement this7. ..."

17GALAKTIONI(AKAKITSERETELI,FORMERLYGANOVI)STREET

RESIDENT:GRIGOL(SERGO)KONSTANTINEORJONIKIDZE(1886-1937).

1STSECRETARYOFTRANSCAUCASIAREGIONALCOMMITTEE(BOLSHEVIK)

COMMUNISTPARTYOFRUSSIA.

April 9 - Day of Restoring Sovereignty and National Unity April 22-25 – Easter days: Good Friday, Great Saturday, Easter Sunday, Easter Monday

APRIL MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY

1.BUDU MDIVANI IS MEANT; SEE: OCTOBER.

2.I.B.STALIN. WORKS, VOLUME 5, (1921-1923),

SAKHELGAMI, SECTOR OF POLITICAL LITERATURE,

TBILISI 1949. P. 256. IOSEB BESARION STALIN’S

FINAL SPEECH ON CENTRAL COMMITTEE REPORT,

19 APRIL, 1923.

3.RUSSIAN SOCIALIST AND DEMOCRATIC LABOUR

PARTY (MENSHEVIKS) FOREIGN DELEGATION

JOURNAL, 1921-1965. IT WAS PUBLISHED IN

BERLIN, PARIS AND NEW YORK. THE FIRST EDITORS

WERE JULIUS MARTOV AND TEODOR DUNN.

4.AKAKI CHKHENKELI IS MEANT; AMBASSADOR

OF THE GEORGIAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC IN

FRANCE.

5.SEIT DEVDARIANI IS MEANT; SEE: FEBRUARY

6.NOE KHOMERIKI IS MEANT, SOCIAL-DEMOCRAT,

MINISTER OF FARMING FOR THE DEMOCRATIC

REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA, EMIGRATED IN 1921.

RETURNED FROM EMIGRATION AND IN 1923 WAS

ARRESTED TOGETHER WITH SEIT DEVDARIANI (SEE:

FEBRUARY). HE WAS SHOT IN AUGUST 1924.

7.BOLSHEVIKS OF TRANSCAUCASIA IN FIGHT

WITH NATIONAL-DEVIATIONIST TBILISI BRANCH

OF COMMUNIST PARTY (BOLSHEVIST) OF GEORGIA

MARX-ENGELS-LENIN INSTITUTE, COMMUNIST

PARTY (BOLSHEVIST) OF GEORGIA CENTRAL COM-

MITTEE PARTY PUBLISHING HOUSE. 1937. SERGO

ORJONIKIDZES SPEECH AT THE PARTY CONGRESS,

21 APRIL, 1924.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

1954: "My daughter Kavtaradze Elisabed Kaikhosro was arrested in 1929 as a political wrongdoer. The same year she was sent into exile for six years to a village called Kolopashovo, 350 km from Tomsk. She returned after serving the sentence in 1936. She was arrested again and sent into exile, this time for eight years to the Akmolinski camp in Kazakhstan Soviet Socialist Republic2. While in prison she was beaten by Rapava3 himself. While serving the sentence she was allowed to live in the city of Kokchatav, where she is at present. Please, discuss her case and if possible give her a permission to return to Georgia. I am 84 years old and have not seen my daughter for 14 years4."

2008:"This time the batch of prisoners on the way to exile by rail was transported by Stolpinka5. It is a creation of human malice and as the name testifies, is perhaps the fruit of Stolipin’s vindictive imagination. This kind of railway carriage consists of a row of cages, and as a rule they are packed with prisoners: each of the first two cages has layers with six prisoners each, the third upper layer – can accommodate only one person. ...The cages with iron bars are separated from the corridor and constantly guarded by sentries. The built-in bars make a grill door equipped with a bolt and padlock. The windows in all the cages are built up. Safely locked and with the same grill, there are windows to the corridor. The sad eyes of prisoners turned face-down are looking out of them. The dusty and dirty windows separate them from the forbidden freedom6..."

11PETRECHAIKOVSKI(G.ELIAVA)STREET

RESIDENT:LIZIKO(ELISABED)KAIKHOSROKAVTARADZE(1905-1988)1.

SHEWASARRESTED(FORTHESECONDTIME)ON15MAY1940

May 9 – Day of victory over FascismMay 12 – Saint Andrea the First dayMay 26 – Independence Day

MAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY

1.ELISABED KAIKHOSRO KAVTARADZE WAS BORN

AND SPENT MOST OF HER LIFE IN TBILISI. SHE WAS

ARRESTED TWICE, ONCE IN 1928 AND IN 1940 AND

CHARGED WITH ESPIONAGE AND CLANDESTINE

ACTIVITY. IN TOTAL SHE SPENT 28 YEARS IN

PRISON. SHE WAS PARDONED IN 1956 AND LATER

REHABILITATED.

2.AKMOLINSKI CAMP FOR WIVES OF COUNTRY

TRAITORS (ALJIR) IS MEANT.

3.AVKSENTI RAPAVA IS MEANT. HE WAS A DEPUTY

TO THE PUBLIC COMMISSAR OF THE GEORGIAN SSR

MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS.

4.MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS ARCHIVE OF-

FICE (1ST DEPARTMENT), FUND N6, CASE N28 538;

APPLICATION OF OLGHA IOSEB KAVTARADZE.

5.NAMED AFTER PETER STOLIPIN – MINISTER OF

INTERNAL AFFAIRS AND PRIME MINISTER OF THE

RUSSIAN EMPIRE.

6.LIZIKO KAVTARADZE, 28 YEARS IN THE GULAG,

TBILISI 2008. PP.58-59.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

25 JUNE 1937, Assize Court of the USSR Supreme Court, Military Collegium sentenced Simon Grigol Firumov to death by shooting and the seizure of his private property, under the Criminal Code of Georgian SSR Articles 58-6, 58-8, and 58-11.

1926: "Mensheviks are trying to use all their means to succeed in hound-ing all supporters out. The most effort is used to discredit me among the French. We have obtained a document in which Chkhenkeli1 is informing the French police that there is a Transcaucasus CheKa organisation which I lead and that I do not work even as a secretary in the Embassy, but I am a Zak CheKa authorised representative. According to the same document it is clear that Pachulia2, Kedia3 and other Georgian policemen are sent on offi-cial business in the French Police with a goal: to establish such an organisa-tion. As a result, the French police started to watch them closely; therefore,

we had to urgently take Kheladze4 and Kachukhashvili5 out of France. Due to their fake passports, they could have easily ended up in prison, compro-mised our activity and reinforced Chkhenkeli’s groundless informing on the Transcaucasian CheKa6."

1937:"I know very well according to Akhmeteli7 himself that he worked closely on a counter-revolutionary and nationalist basis with Simonik Fi-rumov, who carried out counter-revolutionary and nationalist activities in Armenia. Akhmeteli told me the following about Firumov: While in Paris, Firumov contacted the emigrants who he still keeps in close touch with, acts according to their instructions and receives money from abroad. In 1934 Akhmeteli introduced me to Firumov in Hotel Orient. In Tbilsi Firumov communicated with Titsian Tabidze and Nikolo Mitsishvili8."

3MIKHEILLERMONTOVSTREET

RESIDENT:SIMON(SIMONIK)GRIGOL

FIRUMOV(FIRUMIAN,1889-1937).

JUNE MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY

1.AKAKI CHKHENKELI IS MEANT. HE WAS THE

AMBASSADOR OF THE GEORGIAN SSR IN FRANCE

AT THAT TIME.

2.PLATON PACHULIA IS MEANT. HE WAS A DEPUTY

TO THE HEAD OF THE SPECIAL SQUAD AT THE

GEORGIAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC’S MINISTRY OF

INTERNAL AFFAIRS.

3.MELIK (MELKISEDEK) KEDIA IS MEANT. HE

WAS THE HEAD OF THE SPECIAL SQUAD AT THE

GEORGIAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC’S MINISTRY OF

INTERNAL AFFAIRS.

4.ALFES KHELADZE IS MEANT. HE WAS A

TYPESETTER BY PROFESSION, SOCIAL DEMOCRAT,

EMIGRATED IN 1921 AND RETURNED IN 1926.

5.IVANE KACHUKHASHVILI IS MEANT. HE WAS

A LAWYER BY PROFESSION, SOCIAL DEMOCRAT,

EMIGRATED IN 1921 AND RETURNED IN 1926.

6.ARCHIVE OFFICE OF THE MINISTRY OF INTERNAL

AFFAIRS OF GEORGIA (2ND DEPARTMENT, THE

ARCHIVE OF FORMER PARTY BODIES) FUND N13,

LIST N4’ CASE N85; SIMON FIRUMOV (A SECRETARY

TO THE SOVIET PLENIPOTENTIARY REPRESENTA-

TION IN FRANCE), 18 JANUARY 1926.

7.ALEXANDRE AKHMETELI, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF

RUSTAVELI THEATRE. HE WAS SHOT IN 1937.

8.ARCHIVE OFFICE OF THE MINISTRY OF INTERNAL

AFFAIRS OF GEORGIA (2ND DEPARTMENT, THE

ARCHIVE OF FORMER PARTY BODIES) FUND N14,

LIST N4’ CASE N85; AKAKI ALEXANDRE VASADZE

INTERROGATION MINUTES. HE WAS INTER-

ROGATED BY THE HEAD OF THE 3RD DEPARTMENT

IN THE GEORGIAN SSR INTERNAL AFFAIRS PUBLIC

COMMISSARIAT STATE SECURITY OFFICE, STATE

SECURITY MAJOR MKHEIDZE, ON 4 MAY 1937.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

1921: At 5pm, on 1 March, a meeting of Georgian craftsman was held at Ak. Khoshtaria’s1 house (Sergiev Street). Representatives of all fields of art, writers, musicians, artists and painters, attended the meeting. The poet Paolo Iashvili informed the meeting that the Georgian revolutionary committee plans to transfer the house and its entire inventory to Georgian Writers’ Union to found an Artists’ Palace2."

1937: "Pavle Iashvili, disguised as a Soviet writer, has been carrying out treacherous and treasonable activities against the Georgian working people and our Socialist Homeland. …When eventually the facts of his subver-sive and treacherous work were revealed, he tried to escape the fury of the Soviet people and proletarian justice. His suicide on the premises of the Writers’ Palace, during the meeting of the Writers’ Union Presidium, is a provocative act3, arousing loathing and indignation in every decent Soviet writer’s consciousness4…"

1937: "It should be stated as a fact that the suicide of Paolo Iashvili, the exposed spy and people’s enemy, is a provocative act against the Party and Soviet structures. For this reason, he should be buried as an enemy of the people. …Lavrenti Beria shall provide the presidium of the Soviet Writers’ Union of Georgia with the information about counter-revolutionary, trea-sonable and subversive activities of Paolo Iashvili5."

13IVANEMACHABELISTREET

ON22JULY1937,POETPAOLOJIBRAILIASHVILI(1892-1937).

COMMITTEDSUICIDEONTHEPREMISESOFTHEGEORGIANWRITERS’UNION.

JULY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY

1.AKAKI KHOSHTARIA, GEORGIAN TRADER,

OWNER OF DAVID SARAJISHVILI’S HOUSE (CUR-

RENTLY THE WRITERS’ HOUSE); HE EMIGRATED

IN 1921.

2.REVAZ KVERENCHKHILADZE, THE WRITERS’

UNION OF GEORGIA, 1917-1982, MERANI, TBILISI

1983. PP. 30-31; KOMUNISTI, N3, 1921.

3.PAOLO IASHVILI’S SUICIDE AT THE WRITERS’

HOUSE IS MEANT, ON 22 JULY 1937, DURING THE

MEETING OF THE PRESIDIUM OF THE WRITERS’

UNION.

4.REVAZ KVERENCHKHILADZE, THE DOCUMENTS

CALL OUT LOUDLY, TBILISI 2007. PP. 274-265; MIN-

UTES OF THE WRITES’ UNION OFFICE PRESIDIUM

MEETING, 23 JULY1937.

5.ARCHIVE OFFICE OF THE MINISTRY OF INTERNAL

AFFAIRS OF GEORGIA (2ND DEPARTMENT, FORMER

PARTY BODIES’ ARCHIVE), FUND N14, LIST N11,

CASE N88. SIGNED: L. BERIA, TO BE SENT TO S.

GOGLIDZE), MEETING OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY

OF GEORGIA OFFICE.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

August 28 – Saint Mary’s Day

1955: "As Morozov had a close relationship with the unmasked enemies of the people (Goglidze1, Kobulov2, Rapava3 and Tsereteli4), and was per-sonally interested in the sanctions facing Goglidze, on 20 November 1937 he moved to the former KGB employee X’s5 flat before the inves-tigation of his case finished. The troika, with the secretary Morozov, groundlessly sentenced X to shooting, his wife Y to eight years im-prisonment, as she was a family member of an enemy of the people. …Apart from this, the X family had a well-furnished house, which Mo-rozov got hold of free of charge and appropriated part of their things. …In his commentaries A.K. Morozov, despite the existence of some exposing documents in the case … claims that he was only a technical worker of the troika. As for the X family’s things, he claims he pur-chased them lawfully and paid the price fixed by the state6."

1990: "I was ushered into one room. A tall reddish man was sitting at the desk; he had slightly screwed up eyes. He looked at me up and down, made a discontented movement with his hands and left the room. After a couple of minutes a soldier entered the room and took me to a different room. … The same reddish man entered the room at that moment. He did not say any-thing to me. As I learned afterwards, this man had a very important position, and his name was Morozov. He instantly ordered the soldiers – “Throw him in Sabachnaia” – and I was thrown in a very little room. The door opened in the evening and I was taken somewhere. This time I was ushered into a dif-ferent room and Morozov was there again. He came closer to me and read the decree. After this I was taken back to my cell7."

14MIKHAILLERMONTOVSTREET

RESIDENT:ALEXANDREKONSTANTINE

MOROZOV(1887-1964).

STATESECURITYCOMMITTEE(KGB)CAPTAIN,

HEADOFTHE1STSPECIALDEPARTMENTOF

THEPEOPLE’SCOMMISSARIATOFINTERNAL

AFFAIRS,ALEXANDERKONSTANTINE

MOROZOVCARRIEDOUTSECRETARIAL

DUTIESDURINGTHEFIRSTMEETINGOFTHE

KGBON11AUGUST1937ANDDIDTHESAME

JOBCONTINUOUSLYUNTIL1938.THETROIKA

CONDUCTEDTRIALSOF21,376PEOPLEFROM

1937TO1938.

AUGUST MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY

1.SERGO GOGLIDZE IS MEANT. HE WAS A COMMIS-

SAR OF GEORGIAN SSR PEOPLE’S COMMISSARIAT

OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS.

2.BOGDAN KOBULOV IS MEANT. HE WAS A

DEPUTY TO THE HEAD OF THE KGB 4TH DEPART-

MENT OF THE PEOPLE’S COMMISSARIAT OF

INTERNAL AFFAIRS.

3.AVKSENTI RAPAVA IS MEANT. HE WAS A

DEPUTY TO THE COMMISSAR OF THE GEORGIAN

SSR PEOPLE’S COMMISSARIAT OF INTERNAL

AFFAIRS.

4.SHALVA TSERETELI IS MEANT. HE WAS CHIEF OF

WORKERS AND PEASANTRY POLICE OF GEORGIAN SSR.

5.DUE TO THE AIMS OF THE RESEARCH WE

ABSTAIN FROM MENTIONING THE NAMES OF THE

PEOPLE DESCRIBED.

6.ARCHIVE OFFICE OF GEORGIAN MINISTRY OF

INTERNAL AFFAIRS, (2ND DEPARTMENT, FORMER

PARTY BODIES ARCHIVE), FUND N14, LIST N30,

CASE N124, P.23.

7.AMIRANI, OPPOSITIONAL LITERARY AND

ARTISTIC SOCIAL AND POLITICAL COLLECTION OF

WORKS. GANATLEBA PUBLISHING HOUSE, TBILISI

1990, P.299; ALEXANDRE SIGUA’S MEMOIRS.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

On 16SEPTEMBER1922 according to the decree of the Special Com-mission Collegium of Georgia, 12 persons were shot, as they were found guilty of the contact with Kakutsa Cholokashvili and armed uprising. Before the penalty was put into effect, a cavalry captain Solomon (Su-slika) Andronikashvili seriously wounded famous Soviet secret police-man Shulman1.

1922: "Among a plethora of subversive rebellions there is one that attempts to discredit the reputation of the KGB and turn it into such an executing body, where innocent people are mercilessly shot. …They disseminate li-belous incitement, as if 12 members of the Cholokashvili band were shot without a judicial investigation and trial when they were absolutely inno-cent. Being utterly sure that this unbelievable, cynical story can to some extent convince somebody, the Georgian CheKa is publishing short infor-mation about the investigation and how they were proved guilty2."

2002: "very soon the Georgians were gripped with fear, when several patri-ots were brought out of Metekhi, shot ruthlessly and without trial as bandits …Among those Georgians, Suslika Andronikashvili, who was armed with a nail, struggled against the executioner Shulman and almost gouged out his eyes, causing serious damage to him. That is why Suslika was killed there within the walls of the CheKa building. The others were taken to Sa-burtalo by kamioni3, and their graves were dug there. …After this incident Shulman put on Suslika’s shoes and visited the Ortachala prison; with eyes bleeding, he declared angrily that those who do not obey will share the fate of the owner of these shoes4."

30ALEKSANDREGRIBOEDOVISTREET

RESIDENT:ABBESHULMAN.

COMMANDANTOFMETEKHIPRISON(N1PENITENTIARY).

SEPTEMBER MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY

1.ABBE SHULMAN CARRIED OUT THE DEATH

PENALTY.

2.KOMUNISTI, 30 SEPTEMBER, #224, 1922,

THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE GEORGIAN CHEKA

ON THE SHOOTING OF 12 PERSONS.

3.KAMIONI: A FRENCH WORD FOR LORRY.

4.SOPIO CHIJAVADZE-KEDIA, HEARD AND SEEN,

GEORGIAN-EUROPEAN INSTITUTE, PARIS 2002.

P. 339.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

October 14 – Day of Svetiskhoveli Cathedral

1926: "We should remember that the emigration is disposed towards nationalism, and therefore we should talk to them using national tunes …the fact that the émigré affairs are under the supervision of an Armenian1 ought to be considered as an obstacle. …When Levan Ghoghoberidze2 was in Paris, everybody was pleased to visit him. You might ask Why? Because he talked to Georgians in Georgian, he was aware of their language and char-acter. When I arranged a meeting of Soso Goginashvili3 with Levan …after Levan left, Soso told me: They say those people are cannibals and this was a real surprise. Budu really …impressed everybody immensely with his kind-ness and attitude. Archil Araviashvili …states directly: Even if I rot in Eu-rope, I would never go to Pirumov, take me to Budu. …It is necessary that a Georgian man works with Pirumov, a member of government, even a factual one …it is even better if one of the Deviationists is sent4…"

1937:G. Eliava5 stated that in 1926 he learned from Zurab Avalishvili6 that during his stay in Paris, Budu Mdivani met his brother, Soso Mdivani7, a famous socialist-federalist, who worked with Mensheviks. According to Avalishvili, this was a political meeting, though he did not say in what way exactly8."

43DZMEBIZUBALASHVILEBI(GIORGIATARBEGOVI)STREET

RESIDENT:POLIKARPE(BUDU)GURGENIMDIVANI(1877-1937).

AFORMERSECRETARYTOTHECHAIRMANOFTHEGEORGIANCOUNCILOFPEOPLE’SCOMMISSARS,

FORMERMEMBEROFTHETRANSCAUCASUSSSFRCENTRALEXECUTIVECOMMITTEE.

HEWASARRESTEDON17OCTOBER1936.

OCTOBER MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY

1.ABOUT SIMON FIRUMOV SEE: JUNE.

2.LEVAN DAVID GHOGHOBERIDZE, GEORGIAN

BOLSHEVIK. HE WAS ON A SPECIAL PARTY MIS-

SION IN PARIS, AND WAS SHOT IN 1937.

3.SOSO GOGINASHVILI: GEORGIAN SOCIAL DEMO-

CRAT, HEAD OF THE PEOPLE’S GUARDS TSKHINVALI

HEADQUARTERS. EMIGRATED IN 1921,

RETURNED IN 1926.

4.ARCHIVE OFFICE OF GEORGIAN MINISTRY OF

INTERNAL AFFAIRS (2ND DEPARTMENT, FORMER

PARTY ORGANS’ ARCHIVE), FUND N14, LIST N2,

CASE N617; IVANE IOSEB KACHUKHASHVILI (SEE:

JUNE), TBILISI 1926.

5.GIORGI ELIAVA IS MEANT. SEE: JANUARY.

6.HE WAS A SCIENTIST, LAWYER, HISTORIAN,

SPECIALIST IN LITERATURE, DIPLOMAT, PUBLICIST,

POLITICAL AND PUBLIC FIGURE, PROFESSOR,

AND ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF THE GEORGIAN

NATIONAL-DEMOCRATIC PARTY. EMIGRANT

SINCE 1921.

7.SOSO (SVIMON) MDIVANI, MEMBER OF

SOCIALIST-FEDERALIST PARTY, EMBASSADOR OF

THE GEORGIAN SOCIALIST DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC

IN OTTOMAN TURKEY, MEMBER OF THE SO-CALLED

ISTANBUL POLITICAL COMMISSION.

8.ARCHIVE OFFICE OF THE GEORGIAN MINISTRY

OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS (1ST DEPARTMENT), FUND

N6, CASE N36224-07, VOLUME 9, P. 80.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

1926: "…Nobody can deny that there were some factors that alien-ated the Georgian intelligentsia from the ruling power. This alienation had other basis, namely: such issues that were vague for a long time. I mean the national issue. Georgian writers were somewhat frightened, let their quills out like a hedgehog and hunched, as if they were going to face a predictable danger1."

1956: "…These statements are undoubtedly made up, silly, incomprehen-sible. Not a single word is true, there is not a single fact that could coincide with reality. The only truth is the names mentioned, some of them are al-ready dead, and some are still alive. Kotetishvili would never stoop to say anything so silly, untruthful and meaningless … as he was an immaculately decent, extremely fair, genuinely gifted and talented person. He would of course never have a vicious intent … Kotetishvili is a victim of a certain

treacherous plan designed by the enemies of the Soviet people and authori-ties and aimed at some dreadful end2…"

2001: "I always dreamed of the following: What if when I get home and ring the bell, my father will come out and stand on the balcony, smile at me and open the door. What should I do then? How should I behave? Should I run to him and hug him? But I would never be able to do this, as I will feel embarrassed, I am unaccustomed to being a child, more precisely – I have not managed to get accustomed to this. I am only a brother, nephew or a grandchild. My father has always existed for me on the wall like a picture, as an icon for prayers3."

7VAKHTANGKOTETISHVILI

(ALEKSANDREOBOLADZE)STREET

RESIDENT:VAKHTANGILIA

KOTETISHVILI(1893-1937).

PROFESSOROFTBILISISTATEUNIVERSITY

ANDKUTAISIPEDAGOGICALINSTITUTE,

SCULPTOR.HEWASARRESTED

ON5NOVEMBER1937.

November 23 – Saint George’s Day

NOVEMBER MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY

1.T. MAGHLAPERIDZE, VIOLENCE, FEAR,

DECEPTION, KRITIKA, #4, 1991. P.24. VAKHTANG

KOTETISHVILI’S SPEECH AT THE 1ST CONGRESS OF

GEORGIAN WRITERS, 1926.

2.REVAZ KVERENCHKHILADZE. DOCUMENTS PRO-

CLAIM, TBILISI 2007. PP. 300-301. THE STATEMENT

OF ALEKSANDRE BESARION MDIVANI, 1956.

3.VAKHUSHTI KOTETISHVILI, MY EARTHLY LIFE,

TBILISI 2001, PP.128-129.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

1937:"the festive minute has come, no lights in the concert hall, the conductor Mikeladze swings his baton. The melodious enchanting sounds of overture are heard. At this moment comrades Orjonikidze1 and Budioni2 enter the government box. They go to the first row and take the seats close to the stage. After them comrade Stalin and comrades Molotov3, Kaganovich4, Voroshilov5, and then other comrades Mikoyan6, Antipov7, Mezhlauk8, Dimitrov9, Beria10, Khrushchev11 entered the same box. The third act ended with a triumph. …The whole opera troupe turned to the box where Stalin, Molotov, Orjonikidze and others were standing and applauding. …The ac-tors of Tbilisi opera joined 2000 people in the hall in enthusiasm which reflected their loyalty towards the much-loved Stalin12."

1937: "The joy of creative work, the joy of preparation of new forces for art – this is the essence of my life13."

1937: "Case N12537 of the Georgian SSR People’s Commissariat for Inter-nal Affairs State Security Committee (KGB) 4th Department, the accused Evgeni Simoni Mikeladze …prior to imprisonment was the artistic director of The Opera House in Tbilisi.

He was accused of being a member of the right-wing c/r14 organiza-tion, which entrusted him with the duty of carrying out subversive activ-ity in the Opera House, and of serving as a link between the head office of the right-wing a/s organization located in Tbilisi and enemy of the people M. Orakhelashvili15 …Meanwhile, Mikeladze was a member of k/r16 treasonable organization and was actively involved in the collec-tion of treasonous data and then sent them to M. Orakhelashvili, who was in Moscow17."

11GERONTIKIKODZE

(FILIPEMAKHARADZE)STREET

RESIDENT:EVGENISIMONI

MIKELADZE(1903-1937).

ARTISTICDIRECTOROFTHETBILISISTATETHE-

ATREOFOPERAANDBALLET,ACONDUCTOR.

ON13DECEMBER1937,THEMEETINGOFTHE

TROIKAATTHEPEOPLE’SCOMMISSARIATOF

INTERNALAFFAIRSOFTHEGEORGIANSSR

SENTENCEDEVGENISIMONIMIKELADZETO

THEHIGHESTMEASUREOFPUNISHMENT:

SHOOTING.

DECEMBER MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY

1.SERGO ORJONIKIDZE, SEE: APRIL.

2.SEMYON BUDYONNY, SOVIET COMMANDER-

IN-CHIEF, COMMANDER OF MOSCOW MILITARY

DISTRICT.

3.VYACHESLAV MOLOTOV, CHAIRMAN OF USSR

PEOPLE’S COMMISSAR COUNCIL.

4.LAZAR KAGANOVICH, USSR PEOPLE’S COM-

MISSAR OF DEFENCE INDUSTRY, OR MIKHEIL

KAGANOVICH (LAZAR’S BROTHER), GKP (B)

CENTRAL COMMITTEE SECRETARY, MEMBER OF

THE PRESIDIUM AND POLITBURO.

5.KLIMENT VOROSHILOV, USSR PEOPLE’S COM-

MISSAR OF DEFENCE.

6.ANASTAS MIKOYANI, USSR PEOPLE’S COMMIS-

SAR FOR THE FOOD INDUSTRY, DEPUTY CHAIRMAN

OF THE USSR PEOPLE’S COMMISSARS’ COUNCIL.

7.NIKOLOZ ANTIPOV, DEPUTY CHAIRMAN OF USSR

PEOPLE’S COMMISSARS’ COUNCIL, CHAIRMAN OF

THE SSR CONTROL COMMISSION.

8.VALERI MEZHLAUK, DEPUTY CHAIRMAN OF

USSR PEOPLE’S COMMISSARS’ COUNCIL.

9.GIORGI DIMITROV, LEADER OF BULGARIAN

COMMUNIST PARTY, THE SO-CALLED BULGARIAN

LENIN.

10.LAVRENTI BERIA, SECRETARY OF GEORGIAN

COMMUNIST PARTY CENTRAL COMMITTEE.

11.NIKITA KHRUSHCHEV, FIRST SECRETARY OF

MOSCOW REGIONAL COMMITTEE, MEMBER OF

TROIKA, FIRST SECRETARY OF THE UKRAINIAN COM-

MUNIST PARTY CENTRAL COMMITTEE SINCE 1938.

12.KOMUNISTI, 1937, 8 JANUARY N6 (4808), (IT

IS ABOUT THE CONCERT OF GEORGIAN THEATRE

OF OPERA AND BALLET IN MOSCOW), IN JANUARY

1937, AS PART OF THE SO-CALLED GEORGIAN

ARTS FESTIVAL.

13.KOMUNISTI 15 JANUARY 1937, N12 (4814),

THE CONDUCTOR EVGENI MIKELADZE.

14.ANTI-SOVIET.

15.MAMIA (IVANE) ORAKHELASHVILI IS MEANT.

HE WAS EVGENI MIKELADZE’S FATHER-IN-LAW, A

BOLSHEVIK, AND WAS SHOT IN 1937.

16.COUNTER-REVOLUTIONARY.

17.ARCHIVE OFFICE OF THE MINISTRY OF

INTERNAL AFFAIRS (1ST DEPARTMENT), FUND N8,

MINUTES N64, P. 37; MINUTES OF THE MEETING

OF TROIKA N64.

DEARREADER,

THE CALENDAR WAS PREPARED BY:IRAKLIKHVADAGIANI,ANNAMARGVELASHVILI,

NINOLEJAVA,DAVIDGOGISHVILI

DESIGN:MANANAARABULI/TRANSLATION:MAYAROGAVA

PHOTOS:MARITAMERKVILADZE,IRAKLIKHVADAGIANI

e are writing to you on behalf of the researchers and specialists of the Soviet Past Research Laboratory, a non-governmental organization that aims to study and research the history of Soviet Georgia.

Perhaps in your family there is a preserved family photo album, some type of document, a newspaper article, a letter or an object related to the Soviet repressions or Soviet period.

Unfortunately, so far nobody has established one fund, archive or museum to collect all the material providing specialists, researchers, the interested public or young people with the possibility to thor-oughly investigate the most recent history. Furthermore, such an archive could preserve invaluable material for future generations, material which is part of Georgian history and is otherwise doomed to perish.

The Soviet Past Research Laboratory would like to appeal for your help. If there is a family photo album, some type of document, a newspaper article, a letter or an object in your family, which you think could be worth including in the archive (digital/electronic) of the Soviet period, please call and let us know. We will make copies of photos, articles, documents or letters and file them under your or your predecessors’ name into the ownership of an open, public domain archive, which cannot be created without your participation.

Yours faithfully,Soviet Past Research Laboratory

Lascha Bakradze / David Gogishvili / David Jishkariani Irakli Khvadagiani / Giorgi Kldiashvili / Nino Lejava Ana Margvelashvili / Giorgi Shaishmelashvili

Write to us at: info@sovlab.geOr call: Tel.: +(995) 93 780568; +(995) 93 785901; +(995) 77 520152www.sovlab.ge

W

ARCHIVEMATERIALSWHERERESEARCHEDANDPROVIDEDBY:

DAVIDJISHKARIANI: MAY – ELISABED (LIZIKO) KAVTARADZE – FOOTNOTE №4;

AUGUST – ALEXANDRE MOROZOV – FOOTNOTE №6.

IRAKLIKHVADAGIANI: MARCH – KONSTANTINE (KOTE) ABKHAZI – №1;

OCTOBER – BUDU MDIVANI – FOOTNOTE №4.

GIORGIKLDIASHVILI: JANUARY – GIORGI ELIAVA – FOOTNOTE №2;

JUNE – SIMON (SIMONIK) FIRUMOV – FOOTNOTE №8; JULY – THE WRITERS’ HOUSE (PAOLO IASHVILI);

OCTOBER – BUDU MDIVANI – FOOTNOTE №8; DECEMBER – EVGENI MIKELADZE – FOOTNOTE №17.

This edition is funded by the Heinrich Boell Foundation South Caucasus Regional Office and Institute for International Cooperation of the German Adult Education Association Representative Office in Georgia (dvv-international). The views, content and design of the edition do not reflect the position of the donor organizations.Copyright Soviet Past Research Laboratory. Tbilisi. 2010.