Levan Razikashvili ( ka, ლევან რაზიკაშვილი) (1895 – 1923) was a Georgian police officer and victim of

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

repressions. He was born into the family of the Georgian poet Luka Razikashvili, better known by his

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

Vazha-Pshavela. Razikashvili graduated from the

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

Gymnasium for Nobility and joined the Social-Federalist Party during the

Russian Revolution of 1917 The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

. Later, he served to the short-lived

Democratic Republic of Georgia The Democratic Republic of Georgia (DRG; ka, საქართველოს დემოკრატიული რესპუბლიკა, tr) was the first modern establishment of a republic of Georgia (country), Georgia, which exist ...

(1918–1924). After the Soviet takeover of Georgia in 1921, he was appointed a

militsiya ''Militsiya'' ( rus, милиция, 3=mʲɪˈlʲitsɨjə, 5=, ) were the police forces in the Soviet Union until 1991, in several Eastern Bloc countries (1945–1992), and in the Non-Aligned Movement, non-aligned Socialist Federal Republic ...

chief in the Pshavi district, which was a scene of an

anti-Soviet Anti-Sovietism or anti-Soviet sentiment are activities that were actually or allegedly aimed against the Soviet Union or government power within the Soviet Union. Three common uses of the term include the following: * Anti-Sovietism in inter ...

guerrilla revolt. Razikashvili was suspected by the

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...

government to have sympathized with the insurgents who were led by

Kakutsa Cholokashvili Kaikhosro "Kakutsa" Cholokashvili ( ka, ქაიხოსრო ��აქუცაჩოლოყაშვილი; ; , ''Kaikhosro Chelokayev''; born 14 July 1888 – 27 June 1930) was a Georgian military officer and a commander of an anti-So ...

, Razikashvili's erstwhile friend. After the rebel leaders managed to escape into

Chechnya Chechnya, officially the Chechen Republic, is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia. It is situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, between the Caspian Sea and Black Sea. The republic forms a part of the North Caucasian Federa ...

in September 1922, Razikashvili was arrested on the charges of "participation in

bandit Banditry is a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, kidnapping, and murder, e ...

ism." A group of Georgian writers attempted a mediation and urged the Soviet official

Sergo Ordzhonikidze Sergo Konstantinovich Ordzhonikidze, ; (born Grigol Konstantines dze Orjonikidze; 18 February 1937) was an Old Bolshevik and a Soviet statesman. Born and raised in Georgia, in the Russian Empire, Ordzhonikidze joined the Bolsheviks at an e ...

to prevent the son of Vazha-Pshavela from being executed, but to no avail. Ordzhonikidze replied to the mediators: "If it were Vazha-Pshavela himself, I would shoot him too". Razikashvili was shot by the

Cheka The All-Russian Extraordinary Commission ( rus, Всероссийская чрезвычайная комиссия, r=Vserossiyskaya chrezvychaynaya komissiya, p=fsʲɪrɐˈsʲijskəjə tɕrʲɪzvɨˈtɕæjnəjə kɐˈmʲisʲɪjə, links=yes), ...

in February 1923.The Case of Razikashvili
. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia Archival Department. Retrieved on March 3, 2007.

References

1895 births 1923 deaths Police officers from Georgia (country) People from Georgia (country) executed by the Soviet Union {{Georgia-mil-bio-stub

See also

References