Alexander Berulava

Georgian politician, journalist, and human rights activist

Alexander "Sasha" Berulava (Georgian: ალექსანდრე (საშა) ბერულავა; 11 November 1945 – 27 September 1993) was a Georgian journalist, writer, and human rights activist, founder of the Georgian Television of Abkhazia, who was murdered by Abkhaz separatists during the ethnic cleansing of Georgians in Abkhazia in 1993 together with other members of the Government of Abkhazia.

Alexander Berulava was born on 11 November 1945 in Sukhumi, Georgia. Berulava graduated from the Tbilisi State University, Faculty of Journalism.

Berulava joined the Council of Ministers and the Council of Self-Defense of Abkhazian Autonomous Republic during the Georgian-Abkhazian War in 1993 and served as the head of Military Press-Center. When the city of Sukhumi fell to the Abkhaz separatists on 27 September 1993, Berulava along with other authorities from the Government of Abkhazian Autonomous Republic (Zhiuli Shartava, Raul Eshba, Mamia Alasania, Guram Gabiskiria and others) refused to leave the besieged city and was captured by Abkhaz militants and North Caucasian volunteers.

Based on video materials, Human rights documents and witness accounts^[1] of the event, Berulava, Gabiskiria, Shartava, Eshba and other members of the government were dragged outside of the parliament building and forced to knee by the Abkhaz/North Caucasian militants. Berulava is not seen on the video, though according to the testimony of his friends, he refused to surrender and always kept a bullet and a F1 grenade in case of his capture (He was already captured by Abkhazian forces at the beginning of conflict and was tortured in Gudauta).^[2]

All captured members of the government including Berulava were murdered by the Abkhaz militants.

The President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili awarded Alexander Berulava with the Vakhtang Gorgasali Order First grade order for his courage and heroism in the fight for the protection of the homeland and its territorial integrity.^[3]

References

^ US State Department, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1993, February 1994, pp. 80
^ "Memorium". 6 July 2013. Archived from the original on 6 July 2013. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
^ საქართველოს პრეზიდენტმა ჟურნალისტი ალექსანდრე ბერულავა, სიკვდილის შემდეგ, ვახტანგ გორგასლის პირველი ხარისხის ორდენით დააჯილდოვა^{[permanent dead link]}

External links

"Memorial page of Alexander Berulava" (in Russian). Archived from the original on 13 March 2007. Retrieved 21 February 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
"Video file, capture of Zhuili Shartava, Alexander Berulava, Guram Gabiskiria, Raul Eshba, etc and their execution". Archived from the original on 5 July 2007. Retrieved 21 February 2018. (right-click to open file)
Abkhazia.com web site
abkhazeti.ru Web Site
apsny.ge web site

Victims of Sukhumi massacre

Members of the
Council of Ministers

Zhiuli Shartava · Alexander Berulava · Arik (Arshavel) Shengelia · Guram Gabiskiria · Vakhtang Gegelashvili · Iuri Gava · Mikheil Kokaia · Raul Eshba · Jumber Betashvili

Members of the
Security Service