On March 31, 1991, Georgia held a referendum that confirmed the will of its people to restore state independence. Following this, on April 9, 1991, the Act of Restoration of Independence was adopted. This decision was met with great enthusiasm across the country, including in Adjara, where local assemblies in Keda, Shuakhevi, and Khulo soon supported a controversial initiative led by Batumi’s then-prefect Tariel Futkaradze. These councils bypassed the regional leadership of Adjara and directly appealed to the Supreme Council of Georgia, demanding the abolition of Adjara’s autonomy.

Rising Tensions Between Tbilisi and Batumi

According to historian Ucha Okropiridze, the move was seen by the leadership of the Supreme Council of Adjara, headed at the time by Aslan Abashidze, as a blatant violation of political hierarchy. President Zviad Gamsakhurdia attempted to calm the situation, portraying Futkaradze’s initiative as reckless adventurism. Meanwhile, the local population was told that Adjara’s autonomy—and even the religious sensitivities of the region’s Muslim population—was under threat.

This narrative fueled public unrest, leading to the planning of mass demonstrations in Batumi. The Achara branch of the Round Table – Free Georgia movement opposed the protests. Its spokesperson, Nodar Imnadze, who had recently been elected to Georgia’s Supreme Council and appointed Abashidze’s deputy, urged the population to stay calm and avoid provocation. Nevertheless, the demonstrations went ahead.

The April 22–23 Demonstrations

On April 22, 1991, thousands gathered in Batumi holding placards that read: “Long live Adjara’s autonomy!” “Trust and support Aslan Abashidze!” “Stop Christian teaching in Adjara’s schools!”

According to the newspaper Sakartvelos Respublika, Aslan Abashidze “was compelled” to address the rally, stating that “no one intends to abolish Adjara’s autonomy.” The protesters demanded that their preferred candidates be appointed to key leadership positions, even though elections for the Supreme Council of Adjara had already been scheduled for 28 April, just a few days later. The crowd first marched to the building of the Supreme Council of Adjara and then to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The next day, April 23, demonstrations continued with banners proclaiming: “Long live the Autonomous Republic of Adjara in a free, democratic Georgia!”. Among those addressing the crowd were Aslan Abashidze, First Deputy Chairman of Georgia’s Republican Government Murman Omanidze, and Minister of Internal Affairs Dilar Khabuliani. They promised that the government would consider the concerns raised by the people. Following this, the protests subsided.

However, the unrest forced authorities to postpone the elections, moving them from April 28 to June 23, 1991.

The Death of Nodar Imnadze

Historians, including Okropiridze, have described the April 22–23 events as an attempted coup. They argue that Abashidze used the demonstrations to consolidate his personal power, even as relations with his deputy, Nodar Imnadze, deteriorated. The conflict escalated to the point where Imnadze reportedly referred to Abashidze as “Saddam Hussein.”

Nodar Imnadze’s daughter, Nato Imnadze, maintains that the events of 22–23 April in Adjara were orchestrated by Aslan Abashidze. She says that if her father had not left the Supreme Council building on 23 April together with the National Guard, “bloodshed would have been inevitable.”

As Nato Imnadze recalls, on 30 April 1991 she was traveling with her father toward Kutaisi, where a relief headquarters had been set up after a powerful earthquake struck Sachkhere the day before. Unexpectedly, Nodar Imnadze turned off the road and, with his daughter, entered the building of the Supreme Council of Adjara. They went to Aslan Abashidze’s office, where Abashidze was meeting with Anzor Jaiani, head of Adjara’s Security Service, and Murman Omanidze, then Deputy Minister of Transport. Omanidze later said he was there to discuss establishing a crisis headquarters in response to the earthquake.

There are several accounts of who fired the first shot. What is known is that during the exchange of gunfire, Nodar Imnadze was killed, while Aslan Abashidze and Anzor Jaiani were wounded.

An investigation into Abashidze’s role began 13 years after the killing and lasted another 12 years. On the 25th anniversary of the incident, in August 2016, the Batumi City Court found Aslan Abashidze guilty of murder and sentenced him to 15 years in prison, though he never served the sentence. After fleeing the country in 2004, he has lived in Moscow.