Flight from the USSR

The Flight

Despite everything, a majority of the public refused to believe the men on death row would be executed. Such wishful thinking caused some to invent various alternative scenarios and the most widespread one involved Siberia. It was said, that as a rule, death row convicts were not executed but sent to secret Siberian work camps instead. It was believed the same fate awaited the airplane hijackers. In reality, the authorities followed through with the execution. However, it did take some time after the verdict, as they had to wait for approval from Moscow to proceed. The procedure was customarily delayed for as long as several years. In this case, they were executed a month and a half after the sentence was passed, on October 3rd.

There was no official announcement, and no notification to the parents and families, at the time or afterwards. Information about Gega and his friends’ execution still managed to spread across the country. It’s worth remembering that western radio channels were the only source of alternative information under the Soviet regime. Many Georgians found out the news and heard about everything the Soviet authorities thoroughly concealed only by means of these enemy voices, as they were referred to in the official media. The distressing information about the plane hijackers was broadcast by Voice Of America the very day they were executed, but most people refused to believe that it was true and held out hope.

As if to further add to the misery, Gega’s grandfather, who had miraculously escaped death in the 1930s at the same age as Gega, died on the exact same day…

The cells of the death row convicts were in the dungeons of the Ortachala prison, on the very last underground level. The prisoners were taken to be shot into a special room, on the same floor. However, it was not only the death row convicts on this floor. Other inmates were on this level, and knew very well who was in which cell and who was transferred where and when. Needless to say, some inmates had more info than the others. Dima Lortkipanidze, one of the notorious criminals, was kept one level above. He was born in Paris, in the family of Georgian political emigrants, so his anti-Soviet views were not fleeting. Several women prisoners arrested for illegal trade were kept next to Dima’s cell, waiting to be transferred to the women’s penitentiary. They used to hum and sing, which roused Dima’s interest, so once he questioned the warden about the humming inmates. The warden complained about their singing as he was severely reprimanded for the poor discipline on his floor. He was also surprised that these women, mainly shop assistants and accountants, were so good at singing. Dima motioned the warden to come closer and asked him in a lower voice:

“If they sing loudly, will they be heard down there?”

“Down where?”

“On death row.”

“With cells locked, how will they?”

“But they can be heard in the corridor?”

“Well, if they sing at the top of their voices, they’ll probably be heard.”

“Probably or for sure?”

“Probably.”

“So listen. Do me a small favour and you’ll be rewarded.”

“Just don’t make me lose my job…”

“Yeah, you’ve really got a job that would be a shame to lose. So listen carefully.”

“I’m all ears.”

“Down there, on the death row, there’s a guy, Gega, an actor.”

“Yes, I know, that airplane business. The others are down there too.”

“We can’t help the others, but Gega needs help. He’s quite young.”

“I know, I’ve seen him in the movies, but…”

“So, you like movies too. Now tell me, when will Gega be taken to be executed? How soon will you know about it?”

“Right away, the warden on that floor is my cousin.”

“The moment they take him out, I need to know straight-away.”

“Please don’t make me lose my job, I’ve got two small children. If I could at least know what you’re going to do…”

“Nothing special. When Gega’s taken to be executed, you must tell the women to start singing, as loud as possible. Tell them it’s my request to hearten Gega. Tell them he’s taken to be shot.”

The warden stood in amazement and listened to this strange prisoner so utterly unlike anyone he had ever seen in his career…

They were all executed on the same day. Special effort was made to stop the news from spreading and in most cases it worked. The monk and the brothers were taken out of their cells at daytime. They opened the door to Gega’s cell and he met them standing tall, still believing it would not happen. He had no idea where he was being taken; did not know there was a room at the end of the passage, where his final sentence awaited him. On the way, Gega heard distant singing, from somewhere above, but thought he was imagining it. He smiled slightly, very slightly. One floor above, the women prisoners sang earnestly, standing very close to the locked window of their cell, singing loudly and crying. Unlike Gega, Dima Lortkipanidze could hear them very well. He was shouting Gega’s name and banging his fists on the cell door until they were raw and covered in blood.

Dima’s voice carried through the entire prison. Within seconds, other inmates joined him and soon every-one in the Ortachala prison knew that down in the cellar, a man was about to be executed. Within seconds, all prison floors were echoing Gega’s name until their voices were hoarse. When Gega reached the end of the corridor, the rumble became so intense that the wardens accompanying him looked deeply worried. It might have been due to haste, or the Soviet Empire was really was rotting, because as soon as Gega stepped into the room, the waiting executioner shot him from behind, in full accordance with his instructions. But his gun misfired. The unexpected snag threw the executioner into a state of panic. With a mysterious calm, Gega turned to his executioner with a smile.

“Earlier you could at least kill people, now you can’t even do that anymore.”

The killer fired for the second time and suddenly everything was over…

Although the parents of the dead hijackers were not notified of the execution, the Soviet authorities had some rules that were even more ruthless. After October 3rd, the families were sent bills, and they were obliged to pay the cost of the bullets used for killing their children. Each bullet cost three roubles, but Gega’s mother had to pay six—with the extra for the first jammed bullet.

The executioners were paid fourteen roubles for each executed prisoner on top of their monthly salary. What does it say about a society where the price of human life cost fourteen roubles?

They were not heroes. What they did is considered a crime everywhere.

Their parents, families, and friends never claimed they were innocent. They always believed they should be made to answer for what they did. Hijacking was a crime anywhere, especially when it involved fatalities, and the group had to be punished.

Yet, there was also a firm belief that that the state’s extraordinary brutality and eventual murder of the hijackers was a crime arguably worse than the hijacking itself. A monk, who did not even participate in the actual hijacking was persecuted and condemned for a crime he played no part in.

The impression he left, however, was long lasting. His guard in Tblisi’s KGB prison quit his job and eventually went to find the monk’s remote monastery. A legend of the famous monk was instantly born in the local village. Many believed that he survived his execution, and that an innocent man was spared.

Even today, many people in Georgia believe the airplane hijackers are still alive in some far off place. They desperately wanted to fly away and they did…