On April 26, 2024, Anton Vatcharadze, head of the memory and disinformation studies direction of the Institute for Development of freedom of Information (IDFI), was on a working visit to Batumi at the invitation of the Eparchy of Batumi and Lazeti.

The meeting was also attended by the representatives of the Muslim Administration and the "Memorial" Foundation of Adjara.

At the meeting, Anton Vatcharadze presented the results of his visit to Poland on December 11-16, 2023 together with the representatives of Batumi and Lazeti Eparchy, during which they got acquainted with the best practices and museums dedicated to the memory of the victims of the communist and Nazi regimes in Poland. IDFI identified best practices for the museum and developed recommendations.

Anton Vatcharadze discussed the following museums at the session: The Sybir Memorial Museum, The Katyń Museum, The mausoleum of martyrology and historical museum in Michniów and the Palmyra Museum-Memorial. Also Nizio Design International, which is one of the active studios not only in Poland, but also in the whole European Union and specializes in the design of museums, historical, permanent and temporary exhibitions and memorials.

IDFI believes that establishing a cemetery and a museum at the site of the shootings is of the utmost importance in terms of honoring the victims, creating a place of remembrance for their families and descendants, and creating a new educational space. This step will make a significant contribution to the understanding of the Soviet past and the process of decommunization.

IDFI, with the help of international partners, is ready to cooperate with the parties in order to achieve the mentioned goals in a timely and successful manner. 

The visit was organized with the financial support of the Juliusz Mieroszewski Centre for Dialogue (Centrum Dialogu im. Juliusza Mieroszewskiego), Poland, and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).