In January 1992, President Zviad Gamsakhurdia left Georgia as armed conflict continued in the country. Large-scale demonstrations demanding his return were suppressed. Following the shooting of protesters on February 2, significant rallies ceased. However, articles from the newspaper “7 Dge” (7Days) indicate that Gamsakhurdia’s supporters (A.K.A. Zviadists) continued to gather, with a small group meeting daily in front of the Parliament in Tbilisi and in Constitution Square in Sukhumi, referred to as “Gamsakhurdists” in the press.

On April 10, the Supreme Council of Abkhazia imposed a ban on rallies “under special conditions,” leading to the cordoning off of Constitution Square by Abkhaz militia using trucks and buses. From April 11 to 14, Gamsakhurdia’s supporters held informational rallies near the Konstantine Gamsakhurdia Georgian Drama Theatre.

Starting April 15, the Militsia (police) blocked access to the theatre. On April 19, a hunger strike began in the yard of the Sukhumi Cathedral, led by Zurab Kvaratskhelia, a member of the Helsinki Union of Georgia in the Abkhaz region. Five citizens joined him that day, including Natela Shelegia, a mother of ten.

Meanwhile, on May 10, Gamsakhurdia’s supporters were not allowed to rally in Tbilisi. The area near the Rustaveli statue was secured by police and military equipment, forcing protesters to gather near Tbilisi State University, where they demanded the return of the legitimate government and the release of political prisoners.

According to newspaper 7 Dge, police arrested 20 individuals during the demonstration, which was dispersed by members of the “Mkhedrioni” and the National-Democratic Party. Tbilisi’s commandant, General Gia Gulua, stated: “There is an order prohibiting any unauthorized gathering. This is the law, and everyone must comply.”

On May 26, Georgia’s Independence Day, when U.S. Secretary of State James Baker visited Tbilisi, Gamsakhurdia’s supporters were not allowed to march from the Philharmonic to Rustaveli. A group of young people blocked them in front of the “Homeland” publishing house (today’s “Stamp” building). The newspaper “Droni” reports: “As a means to ease the situation, the youth believed shooting into the air was appropriate… Whether they used blanks or not, I cannot say… However, a gunshot was fired – the bullet hit the window of the publishing house between the third and fourth floors… In that confusion, it seems someone miscalculated.”

Gamsakhurdia’s supporters (A.K.A. Zviadists) continued to gather in 1993. Despite the ongoing civil war and the need for permission to hold demonstrations, they managed to assemble sometimes with permission and sometimes without. Shouts of “Zvi-a-di!” and “Down with the junta!” were heard again, but now they were also demanding the resignation of Eduard Shevardnadze, as Shevardnadze had been brought to power on March 7, 1992, by the Military Council of the Republic of Georgia formed by the putschists, which included Jaba Ioseliani, Tengiz Kitovani, and Tengiz Sigua. They transferred power on March 10 to the newly formed State Council of the Republic of Georgia, which was effectively a provisional government.

Gamsakhurdists continued to hold gatherings. Shevardnadze’s provisional government also attempted to confront them, sometimes dispersing the demonstrations. For instance, this happened on April 5, 1993, near the Rustaveli statue. That day, they had not received permission to hold a rally, as they claimed they were going to Merab Kostava’s yard, which was nearby, and did not require permission to gather inside the yard. A clash occurred between the police and the protesters, with people, including women, being beaten with truncheons. “The militia also had automatic weapons, but they were not used for their intended purpose. They ‘only’ pressed people by the neck, pushed them back, and then struck them with two truncheons,” describes the newspaper “7 Days.” Several people were arrested but were released that same evening. The dispersed protesters went to the United States Embassy, which was then located on Atoneli Street. They held a rally at that location the next day.

Demonstrations by Gamsakhurdists were also organized in Zugdidi. On June 16, 1993, those gathered were informed of Zviad Gamsakhurdia’s wishes—to collect signatures demanding his return. As stated at the rally, Gamsakhurdia wanted to go to Sukhumi to lead the “Abkhaz-Mingrelian State.”

Unlike previous occasions, on July 29, 1993, Gamsakhurdia’s supporters were granted permission to hold an unauthorized rally. The rally’s slogan, as it had been before, was: “Down with the bloody junta and its leader Shevardnadze.”