Telegram from First Secretary of the Georgian Communist Party, Dzhumbar I. Patiashvili to the Central Committee (CC) of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU)

Incoming enciphered message No. 217/sh

From Tbilisi

Received 7 April 1989

8:40 p.m.

The situation in the Republic has recently worsened and is practically getting out of control. A gathering in the village of Lykhny of the Abkhazian ASSR [Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic] on 18 March of this year which raised the question of the secession of the Autonomous Republic from the GSSR [Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic] served as the pretext. However, events have gone beyond these bounds.

Extremist elements are whipping up nationalist sentiments; calling for strikes and disobedience to authority, are organizing disturbances, and are discrediting Party and government [sovetskiye] bodies. Emergency measures need to be taken in the existing situation.

We consider it necessary:

1. To immediately bring to criminal and administrative responsibility the extremists who are expressing anti-Soviet, anti-socialist, and anti-Party slogans and appeals (there are legal justifications for this).

2. Introduce a special situation (curfew) in Tbilisi with the involvement of additional forces of the MVD [Ministry of Internal Affairs] and the ZAKVO [ZakVO, Transcaucasian Military District].

3. To carry out a number of political, organizational, and administrative measures to stabilize the situation, using Party, government, and administrative activists [aktiv].

4. Not to permit publications which aggravate the situation access to national and Republic mass media.

We request your consent for points 1, 2, and 4.

Secretary of the CC of the Georgian CP

D. Patiashvili