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| Reburial for Georgia ex-president | Reburial for Georgia ex-president |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Georgia's first president after independence from the USSR, Zviad Gamsakhurdia, is being reburied in the Georgian capital Tbilisi. | |
| Gamsakhurdia died violently in disputed circumstances in 1993 after being ousted from office. | Gamsakhurdia died violently in disputed circumstances in 1993 after being ousted from office. |
| He was buried in Chechnya and his grave's location was secret for many years, but his remains were identified this month and returned to Georgia. | He was buried in Chechnya and his grave's location was secret for many years, but his remains were identified this month and returned to Georgia. |
| Thousands have been queuing at his family mansion's gates to pay respects. | Thousands have been queuing at his family mansion's gates to pay respects. |
| Many carried flowers and portraits of the former president, some cried as they kissed the coffin. | Many carried flowers and portraits of the former president, some cried as they kissed the coffin. |
| Suicide or murder? | Suicide or murder? |
| Zviad Gamsakhurdia was a dissident nationalist who led the movement for independence from the Soviet Union, and was then elected as president. | Zviad Gamsakhurdia was a dissident nationalist who led the movement for independence from the Soviet Union, and was then elected as president. |
| He was a Georgian patriot and did good things for our nation - he made mistakes, but he was a good man Tbilisi resident | He was a Georgian patriot and did good things for our nation - he made mistakes, but he was a good man Tbilisi resident |
| But after he had been in office a few months, Georgia collapsed into civil war and he was overthrown by militia forces. | But after he had been in office a few months, Georgia collapsed into civil war and he was overthrown by militia forces. |
| In 1993, he led a failed uprising against Eduard Shevardnadze, who replaced him as Georgia's leader. | In 1993, he led a failed uprising against Eduard Shevardnadze, who replaced him as Georgia's leader. |
| According to people fighting alongside him, Gamsakhurdia then committed suicide, although his widow insists that he was murdered. | According to people fighting alongside him, Gamsakhurdia then committed suicide, although his widow insists that he was murdered. |
| Gamsakhurdia's opponents saw him as a repressive, divisive nationalist, whose presidency led Georgia into violence and chaos. | Gamsakhurdia's opponents saw him as a repressive, divisive nationalist, whose presidency led Georgia into violence and chaos. |
| But the current Georgian President, Mikhail Saakashvili, has praised Gamsakhurdia as a statesman and patriot - a view echoed by some people in the Georgian capital. | But the current Georgian President, Mikhail Saakashvili, has praised Gamsakhurdia as a statesman and patriot - a view echoed by some people in the Georgian capital. |
| "He was a Georgian patriot and did good things for our nation. Of course we're all human and we all make mistakes - he made mistakes, but he was a good man," said one woman. | "He was a Georgian patriot and did good things for our nation. Of course we're all human and we all make mistakes - he made mistakes, but he was a good man," said one woman. |
| Others were less enthusiastic about his political skills. | Others were less enthusiastic about his political skills. |
| "There was an opinion poll about Zviad Gamsakhurdia on television and a lot of people did not have a positive view of him. I think he was great for the independence movement but I don't think he had enough skills to lead the country," another man said. | "There was an opinion poll about Zviad Gamsakhurdia on television and a lot of people did not have a positive view of him. I think he was great for the independence movement but I don't think he had enough skills to lead the country," another man said. |
| The Georgian government has rehabilitated Zviad Gamsakhurdia's memory, as part of its agenda of promoting national pride. | The Georgian government has rehabilitated Zviad Gamsakhurdia's memory, as part of its agenda of promoting national pride. |
| He is being buried alongside some of the country's most respected figures. | |
| But questions remain about how he died - and about what responsibility he should bear for the conflict in the 1990s, from which Georgia has still not fully recovered. | But questions remain about how he died - and about what responsibility he should bear for the conflict in the 1990s, from which Georgia has still not fully recovered. |