May 26 marks the birth anniversary of Merab Kostava, one of Georgia’s most prominent freedom fighters and a National Hero of Georgia. This year, Kostava would have turned 87.
A leading figure of Georgia’s national liberation movement during the Soviet period, Kostava was repeatedly repressed, arrested and exiled for his political activities and advocacy for Georgia’s independence.
After returning from exile in 1987, he resumed the struggle for the country’s independence alongside Zviad Gamsakhurdia.
Merab Kostava died on October 13, 1989, in a car crash near the village of Boriti under circumstances that have long been viewed by many as suspicious. He is buried in the Mtatsminda Pantheon, where many of Georgia’s prominent public figures are laid to rest.
Merab Kostava is widely regarded as one of the key figures of Georgia’s independence movement. Alongside Zviad Gamsakhurdia, he played a major role in the dissident movement against Soviet rule and became a symbol of the country’s struggle for national freedom.
Photo: National Archives of Georgia
