On April 9, 2024, at 12 o'clock, an event called "Echo of April," dedicated to the memory of those who died on April 9, 1989, was held in the 9th of April Garden. This event was organized within the framework of cooperation between the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) and the historical researcher Levan Kapitanov.

35 years ago, on April 9, 1989, the Soviet army broke up a peaceful protest in Tbilisi demanding the independence of Georgia, killing 21 people. This day remained in the history of Georgia as a national tragedy, and at the same time, a big step on the way to independence. 2 years after this event, on April 9, 1991, the Act on the Restoration of Independence of Georgia was adopted.

Since the tragedy in 1989, citizens from various parts of Georgia have come to pay their respects to the victims, often expressing their emotions by spontaneously affixing poems to the trees. The event organized by IDFI also served as a symbolic echo of this longstanding tradition.

Within the framework of the event, around the fountain in the garden, poems dedicated to April 9 and informative banners were displayed, also tulips with the names of 21 victims were placed.

The event was attended by participants of the national movement and the April 9 rally, as well as well-known figures, schoolchildren, teachers, and all citizens interested in commemorating the occasion. President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili also paid her respects to the memory of the deceased.

The participants of the event made symbolic notes and lit candles to immortalize the memory of the dead.

The event was held with the financial support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).