ITAR-TASS
01 January, 1991
The Soviet Republic of Georgia proclaimed its independence on 9 April, but President Zviad Gamsakhurdia began to show dictatorial tendencies.
In December, when the rest of the former USSR was busy forming the new Commonwealth of Independent States, Georgia's capital erupted into violence. The city had a Christmas red with blood, costing dozens of Georgians their lives. After a protracted siege Gamsakhurdia's opponents forced him to flee his country early in 1992.
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