The Batumi District in 1914–1916

Abstract

On December 14, 1914, in the village of Khichauri, a show trial was planned for 192 individuals accused of treason against the state. They were alleged to have allowed Ottoman forces to enter Adjara, to have guided them, and supplied them with food and other provisions. Among those arrested were 13 individuals who had previously sent a written warning to the government, informing them of the potential threat and requesting that measures be taken to reinforce and defend the border with the Ottoman Empire. Acting on the orders of Colonel Gubsky, a punitive expedition was carried out. In front of hundreds of locals who had been forcibly gathered from various villages, two men — Shakhvelebi Abdyoghli Diasamidze and Tophan Tavdgiridze — were publicly hanged. The rest were spared thanks to the courage and persistence of Stephane Kemkhadze, the clerk of the Skhalta rural administration. He reminded district chief Nikolenko about “Case No. 7” and presented Colonel Gubsky with its documentation, demanding an end to the punitive operation. Although a subsequent military tribunal acquitted the remaining detainees, two innocent patriots had already fallen victim to lawlessness and unjust accusations.