In order to prevent the recurrence of those terrible events in the recent history of South Ossetia, we must unite and confront negative challenges together, Head of State Anatoly Bibilov said at the mourning meeting dedicated to the 31st anniversary of the Ered tragedy.
The commemorative event began with the laying of flowers at the mass grave of the victims of the Ered tragedy. The rally was opened by the director of the State Museum Merab Zasseev. According to him, the Ered tragedy is an echo of those tragic bleeding years of the early 90s, which have remained in our hearts and memory forever.
“On this day, from year to year, a huge number of people come to this place to remember and honor the memory of those guys in whose hearts the real hearts of men are beating. And every time we experience this tragedy anew. The names of many guys who gave their lives for freedom are immortalized in street names. But there are these guys - the victims of the Ered tragedy, who were also full of life, civic duty. And we must always remember them and honor their memory. There is not a single person who can indifferently recall the monstrous tragedy that took place on March 18, 1991. The sophistication of those who carried out this is beyond comprehension and description. Only the devil's spawn can do such a thing," he stressed.
Zasseev has added that he was familiar with Lieutenant Colonel Vasiliev, who was involved in this case, and he told him everything in detail. He believes that this should not be at all.
Facing negative challenges together
Head of State Anatoly Bibilov remindeded that for 31 years people have been coming to the place of the mass grave of the victims of the Ered tragedy to once again pay tribute to the memory of our guys brutally murdered, to say words of support to relatives and friends.
“Three decades have passed, but our wounds have not healed, and I am sure they will never heal, remembering the victims of the Zar and Tsinagar tragedies, all those who were killed at the hands of the Georgian fascism. We will always remember those who became victims of the 1920 genocide, those guys who today are fulfilling their duty to the people of Donbass.
We have been appealing to the leadership of Georgia for more than thirty years to give a political and legal assessment of the actions of those who killed the innocent people of South Ossetia. But so far, they haven’t even apologized…,” he said.
The President has added that today they are also fighting against fascism and nationalists in Ukraine, Russia is conducting a special military operation so that tomorrow Nazism can no longer manifest itself. South Ossetian guys know the value of life, freedom, they were fighting against fascism for several decades.
In his opinion, in order to prevent a repetition of those terrible events in the recent history of South Ossetia, we must unite and confront negative challenges together.
“We will be able to do this, because Alanian blood is flowing in the courageous Ossetian people,” Bibilov emphasized.
The head of state said that the memorial monument to the victims of the Ered tragedy was ready, and assured the relatives and all participants of the commemorative event that next year a whole complex would stand on the site of the current monument, symbolizing the pain and scale of the tragedy, talking about the suffering and courage of each of the twelve guys.
“We made this decision, because we believe that it should be exactly on the site of the mass grave. These guys, I think, are in paradise, because it is believed that the tortured and brutally killed fall into the kingdom of God. And the future memorial complex should correspond to the bright image of these guys. I am sure that before the memory of all the victims of the struggle for independence, it is not worth throwing mud at each other, but rather unite and create together. Our duty is to unite, because we are an example for future generations to follow,” Anatoly Bibilov emphasized.
He believes that in the light of today's events in the world, unity becomes even more valuable, since only unity and commonality serve as the basis for victory.
“God give us the strength to consolidate and unite. This will be the most correct step in memory of all the victims of the Georgian aggression,” the President said.
Non-healing wounds
According to Deputy Interior Ministry Tarzan Kokoity, despite the fact that 31 years have passed, we remember these events as if they happened yesterday, and each time the wounds come back to life.
“Not even a month will pass, and we will remember the Zar tragedy, followed by the Priss one, the Tsinagar, and in September the Beslan tragedy. We have experienced the cruelest tragedies that defy human reason. We came to the mass grave to become stronger and more courageous, to give a word before the memory of the victims of all tragedies that we will unite and work together for the benefit of the Ossetian people,” said Kokoity.
Pupils of school No. 6 read poems by the South Ossetian writers dedicated to the victims of the Ered tragedy.
In its cruelty and tragedy, the Ered tragedy cannot be compared with anything, although there are many tragic dates in the recent history of South Ossetia. This is an open manifestation of an inhuman act of genocide against the Ossetian people.
31 years ago, civilians from the villages of Dmenis, Satikar, Khelchua, Korkula of the Tskhinval district were on their way to the capital of South Ossetia. In the car "Ural" were mostly women and children. The men, on the other hand, took advantage of, at that time, a good opportunity to get to Tskhinval not by a bypass road, but by a military vehicle belonging to the Internal Troops of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs. All 25 people were confident in their safety. However, halfway near the village of Ered, in those years controlled by Georgian armed forces, the car was stopped and 25 Ossetians - women, men and children - were put off it.
The women and children were severely beaten, but released the same day, while 12 men were imprisoned in the Georgian “headquarters”. From that day on, they were listed the missing. Long months of tears and torment began, days of searching and hoping to get at least some information, relatives tried to look for them in all directions. But even through acquaintances living in the village of Ered, they could not find out anything. All, as one, kept deathly silence. Two and a half years later, thanks to the anonymous information, the fate of the young people became known. They also found out where they were buried.
