State Security Archive
(Archive of the State Security Committee of the Georgian SSR)
In March of 1921, according to a resolution passed by the presidium of the Special Committee, or “Cheka”, the
registration archive department was formed. Its task was to gather and preserve incriminating materials about
numerous “enemies” and “dangerous elements” of the country that the Cheka had exposed.
Thirty staff units were selected for the registration archive department. The first registered case was the criminal
case of Razhden Mirianashvili (son of Malakia) and six others who were accused of appropriating foodstuffs.
Three of the accused were sentenced to death. Officials executed the sentence the next day. Between 1921 and
1992, 230,000 archival files were stored in the cellar of the 10th department of the Committee for State Security
(KGB).The former KGB’s central building caught fire in the “Tbilisi War” of 1991-1992. As a result, 210,000
archival files were destroyed - 80% of the entire collection. Many interesting documents are still preserved in
the KGB archive. Noteworthy documents include those on the rebellion of 1922-1924, the Civil War, the
dissident movement, the events of March 9, 1956 in Tbilisi, the so-called “Mingrelian Case” and others. Fonds
№1, №6, №8 and №12 can be found in the KGB archive. Fond №1 combines normative acts (decrees, orders
and directives) passed by the former Cheka/GPU/OGPU/NKVD/MVD between 1921 and 1990. Fond №6
combines criminal cases of persons tried under the Article on political crimes, cases of those tried under the
Article on treason, and cases of those tried under various Articles of the criminal code. Fond №8 combines
protocols of the board, presidium, special advisory and the so-called “Troika” of the former
Cheka/GPU/OGPU/NKVD/MVD. Fond №12 combines documents concerning death-penalty executions.
MIA Archive
(Archive of Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Georgian SSR)
A large portion of the Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was destroyed during the “Tbilisi War” of
1991-1992. Both the MIA administration and KGB buildings were burnt down. In 2005 the Security Ministry
joined the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the documents (echelon lists of persons who were exiled, cases of
special exiles, and normative acts of the Ministry of Internal Affairs) were transferred to the KGB archive.
Party Archive
(Archive of Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Georgian SSR)
A resolution passed by the presidium of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Bolshevik) of Georgia
on June 24, 1922, created the Istpart Commission (Commission on Party History). Istpart’s primary mission was
to collect, academically process and publish materials on the history of Georgia’s Communist organs.
In late 1929, under the instructions of the Lenin Institute, the Party History Institute established the Party
Archive.
On the basis of a resolution passed by the Central Committee of the Communist Party (b) of Georgia on
February 23, 1932, the Historical-Revolutionary and Scientific-Research Institute of Stalin was formed in Tbilisi.
In June 1934, the Institute became a branch of the Marx-Engels-Lenin Institute of the All-Union Central
Committee of the Communist Party, and later the two merged completely. The Istpart archive, as well as the
documents from the Central Committee local divisions, were transferred there. Between 1933 and 1937, the so-
called Imeli (Istpart Marx-Engels-Lenin Inistitute) building was constructed on Rustaveli Avenue, Tbilisi, where
the Party Archive was placed, and where it functioned until 2007. Resolution №150, passed by the President of
Georgia on April 5, 2007, moved the collection to the Archive Administration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs
of Georgia.
Today, the Party Archive is one of the biggest archives in Georgia, preserving about 8,300 fonds. Archival fonds
and materials are crucial to the study of Party history, as well as the history of the Young Communist League
(Komsomol).
In recent years, interest in the Archive has grown daily and many important projects have been accomplished.
An electronic database was created, much interesting material was searched and made accessible to society, and
over 8,000 photos were digitized. Documentary films, television productions, and publications in journals and
magazines have incorporated Archive materials. Both Georgian and foreign researchers visit frequently, and the
bilingual journal Archival Bulletin is published on the basis of Archive holdings.