Flight from the USSR

The Trial

It was called the court of justice, but in reality there was no indication of justice. The hearing was scheduled nine months after the beginning of the investigation, though most of the witnesses were not even interrogated. Soviet law had no provision for the length of the investigation term, but it was clear that the authorities were in an extreme hurry to pass a verdict for the plane hijackers.

The trial began on August 1st, just when everyone is try to escape the scorching heat of the capital. The heat in the beginning of August in Tbilisi is notoriously so unbearable that even those sheltered in summerhouses close to the city flee to the sea in Western Georgia. Tbilisi would be empty, ensuring the authorities that it would be unlikely people would protest against the trial. Like a badly staged play, the government wanted a quick ending and made sure that only the parents of those on trial would attend the hearing.

Most of the audience in the courtroom was made up of KGB employees, and only the parents of the accused were permitted to attend. No one else, including former passengers of the hijacked plane, were there. Of the passengers allowed in, only those who would say exactly what the authorities wanted were selected. Despite this, none of these witnesses claimed that any of the accused were murderers.

Several days later, the verdict was scheduled. The night before, they summoned one of the passengers to meet with the KGB. He was quite an elderly man who, apart from his age, had been broken down by grief. His only son was in prison. He had been there for several years because of a traffic accident.

Though they gave him some water for his nerves, the man was so frightened and agitated he could not calm down until he was told the reason for his summons to the KGB. What they told him was probably worse than he expected. He only fully understood it the next day at the trial. He sat in the KGB official’s room and nodded to the people in suits, while wondering why their ties were not choking them in such heat.

At the start, they were evasive.

“Your son’s been in prison for the five year already.”

“Yes.”

“It must be very hard for you.”

“It is.”

“You probably want him to get out soon.”

“Yes, I do.”

“You might know that sometimes the prison term for some prisoners can be reduced and they can be released.”

“Yes.”

“You must be missing your son.”

“I am.”

“You probably know that only those prisoners who behave well are released.”

“Yes.”

“Or their parents.”

“Yes.”

“Or their parents behave well…”

“Yes.”

“For instance, you can assist us, so that your son is freed from prison before his term is over.”

“Yes.”

“I hope you want to help your son.”

“I do.”

“But you don’t know how.”

“Yes.”

“Yes you know, or yes you don’t?”

“Yes.”

“Yes what?”

The elderly man asked for more water, drained the glass, and asked for more. Only when he drank the second glass, was he able to utter what must have been the longest statement in his entire life:

“My wife used to write appeals for pardon. She still does. Everyone says it was the fault of the person, who is dead now, who crossed the street in the wrong place, but…”

“But nothing?”

“Nothing. He’s in prison for a fifth year now.”

“That’s exactly what we’ve told you. Now you can help your son.”

“What are you saying? They’ve asked for such a sum, that even if I sell my apartment, it still wouldn’t be enough and…”

“Oh no no no, we aren’t talking about money here. It’s about assisting to the state in return for which the state will pardon your son.”

“How can I assist you so that they let my son out of prison? What can an ordinary man like myself do?”

“It’s exactly you who can do it, precisely because you’re an ordinary, hardworking and honest man and your words will have decisive importance at tomorrow’s trial.”

“What are you saying? What can I say that’s so important?”

“Say what you know and what you saw back then on that airplane.”

“What could I see? I was lying on the floor the whole time.”

“But you saw that they killed people, right?”

“Yes, I saw those who got killed.”

“And?”

“And I have been sick ever since. My wife has been taking me to doctors ever since, but so far I don’t feel any better.”

“That’s exactly what your assistance is going to be. You are to say the same thing tomorrow, at the trial, so that those who are guilty will be punished as they deserve. Is it fate that your innocent son should be in jail and those bandits live like heroes?”

“I’ve been thinking that as well. No one has ever said anything bad about my son and the investigator was saying the same, that it wasn’t his fault.”

“So, your son will come back home soon, while these terrorists receive a just punishment.”

“Bless you if you do this kindness. Otherwise he won’t be home in time to see mother, or myself, alive. We’re both pretty finished waiting for him…”

“So, if tomorrow at the trial you tell the story of those murderers, in a couple of days your son will be at home.”

“Why shouldn’t I tell it? I’ll tell everything in detail, what happened and how.”

“Do you remember the faces of those who shot at the people?”

“How can I remember those shooting at us from the outside?”

“Forget them. You must recognize those who hijacked the plane and killed the people.”

“How can I recognize them, I told you, we lay face down the whole time.”

“It’s not a problem to recognize them. They’ll be sitting there in front of you, and when the judge asks you whether it was them, you will nod and confirm it. You do remember the faces of those who hijacked the plane, right?”

“How can I forget them?”

“So, it was them who killed the people and they should answer for it.”

“If they killed them, don’t you know that better than me?”

“The investigation has already determined everything, but an honest man like you, who was on that plane and can confirm it, will help both the state and his own son.”

One official, who seemed to be higher in rank than the rest, saw the elderly man to the main entrance and sent him home in his office car.

“So, you know what to do tomorrow. We’re counting on you.” The KGB official said goodbye to him deferentially, firmly shaking the hand of his reliable witness.

The final day of the court hearing was scheduled for August 13th. The heat in Tbilisi was truly unbearable on that day and the government wanted the trial to be over as soon as possible, despite the fact that many details of the case were still completely unclear.

Over these thirteen days of the trial, the accused watched out for their parents and friends in the courtroom. Gega’s mother Natela asked him with her eyes whether he was suffering from anything, because it seemed to her that her son was in pain. Gega replied with his eyes that nothing was bothering him, but Natela was certain something had happened in prison. She understood when her son was in pain. Gega also felt his mother was deeply worried but he could hardly hide his torment. From the very first day of the trial, he tried to be cheerful and smiled in order to conceal his pain. He was a very good actor, and he convinced those in attendance that he was alright—everyone except his mother.

Yet, it was ultimately a role Gega couldn’t pull off. His anguish was more than he could bear. Tina wasn’t pregnant—the fact became obvious to him on the very first day of the trial. But there was still a tiny hope that Tina had already given birth to their child, which would have explained her flat belly. He kept looking closely at her and Tina understood he was waiting for the answer directly from her. Hardly noticed by the others, Tina slightly shook her head. Gega immediately realized that everything was over.

In these thirteen days, the accused were given brief moments to exchange a few words with each other. During the breaks, Gega could have easily asked the tormenting question, and discovered how it all happened, but he chose not to hear the truth from his wife. He decided that hope was more vital now than the truth about their baby.

The final day of the trial began with the testimony of the monk, who addressed the judge, and everyone present at the trial, with regret.

“I was, and still am, the spiritual father of these people and that’s why the whole responsibility for what they have done lies upon me. They are very young and can still rectify the mistakes they have committed. They can still be useful to society and our country. There have been enough victims, enough death. For these reasons, I ask you to show mercy towards them. If anyone is still thirsty for blood, consider me. I am the main culprit and let my punishment suffice to spare these young people.”

The judge rudely interrupted the monk’s speech and then someone called from the audience.

“What are you going to do if they spare you?”

“I’ve got an old map of Georgia at home. It’s extremely detailed—with all the villages and churches across the country. I’ll go searching for the remotest place and spend the rest of my life praying.”

When the monk sat down, a grave silence hung in the courtroom for a long time, since he was the first person to mention the word “death” at the hearing. The silence was broken by the judge, who urgently summoned the elderly witness who had gone through a thorough briefing in the KGB building the previous night.

The judge respectfully addressed the witness and asked him to tell what he remembered. The elderly man spoke with sincerity:

“It was a bad thing, very bad. I’d been in hospital back then, here in Tbilisi, and when I felt a bit better, I was in a hurry to get back home. I’m angry at my wife even now, because it was her idea that I take the plane, not the bus, that it would be better for my health. Otherwise, planes aren’t good at my age. I told her I’d take a train then, that it wouldn’t be as bumpy as a bus, but she still said, no, take the plane, maybe you’ll be back in time for the last tangerines, everyone has already picked theirs and the rest will rot. You know what women can be like when they start at you and…”

“Please speak about the case.”

“As for the case, I want to say that everything I’ve heard here is true. The only person I don’t remember is that priest, but I do remember the rest on that plane. How could I forget? I wouldn’t wish my enemy to have been there.”

“So, you confirm that the accused are the same who were trying to hijack the plane?”

“I’ve told you, sir, that I remember them well, but I cannot recall that priest.”

“So, you confirm that apart from the accused person you mentioned, you remember well the others, sitting there, to be the terrorists?”

“I remember all of them and I’ve told you, sir, that I can’t recall the priest. One of them also had a beard, but he’s not here and also, his beard was light, while this one has a black beard and that was a different one, he didn’t look like this one…”

“I’m not asking you about the others. We are talking about the accused currently in front of you, present in the courtroom and whether you confirm that these are exactly the terrorists who attempted to hijack the plane on which you were one of the passengers.”

“It was them, sir, I can’t lie.”

“Can you confirm that their armed attempt to hijack the plane caused fatalities?’

“Of course there were fatalities, both dead and wounded and some with broken arms and legs. When the plane started to fall down, the people were being mashed like…”

“Can you tell us which of the accused in particular were armed and with what types of weapons the hijackers shot at the passengers?”

“I don’t know what they were holding, sir, I’m a peasant and don’t know about such things, but when we landed and the troops were shooting at us from the outside with submachine-guns…”

“So, you confirm that the accused were armed?”

“Them? Of course, who has ever heard of a hijacking of a plane without weapons?”

“Can you tell us specifically whose shots were followed by the deaths, or bodily injuries, of any of the passengers?”

“How can I, sir? There was a lot of shooting and I was lying on the floor the whole time and didn’t even lift my head up, while the shooting went on.”

“And when the shooting stopped, you sat up, and probably saw the armed people—those now sitting in front of you.”

“I sat up, but I couldn’t stand up. I felt really bad and my mouth was very dry.”

“And you probably saw one of them, with a weapon in his hand?”

“Yes, sir, I saw him and I remember well that it was him, because I’d seen him on TV, but I don’t remember the name of that movie.”

“Do you remember the weapon? What kind of a weapon did the terrorist have in his hand?”

“He had a bomb in one hand, sir, but not like in the war movies. He had a round bomb in one hand…”

“And in the other?”

“In the other? Should I say it, sir?”

“Yes, you must say everything that you know and remember, that is exactly why you are here.”

“I don’t know sir, if I say it, maybe I’ll spoil something.”

“It is vital for the investigation of the case and for the court that every detail is revealed.”

“So, should I say it, sir?”

“Yes, please tell the court what the accused had in his other hand.”

“He had a glass in the other hand.”

“What glass?”

“It was an ordinary glass. He was bringing water for whoever felt bad.”

The judge was caught unawares by the testimony. There was an unnaturally long pause before his next question.

“And then?”

“And then he brought some water for me too, and I felt a little better.”

“And then?”

“What then, sir? If they die, that’ll be a shame too…”

The voice of the elderly witness began to quiver, and then a tear rolled down his cheek and then he started loudly crying without restraint. The judge announced a break.