Soviet-Era Monument Demolished In Georgia
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The Glory Memorial, a Soviet-era monument by sculptor Merab Berdzenishvili - Georgian officials ordered the Glory Memorial to be razed to make way for a new parliament building. The memorial, dedicated to the thousands of Georgian soldiers who lost their lives fighting for the USSR in World War II, stood in Kutaisi, Georgia's second-largest city.
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A billboard shows plans for the new parliament building, scheduled to be completed in 2012. - The government of President Mikheil Saakashvili had hoped to move the government center from Tbilisi to Kutaisi as a way of boosting economic development in western Georgia, but the plans met with resistance among Kutaisi residents.
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Explosives were used to topple the 46-meter-tall memorial. - An 8-year-old girl and her mother were killed by flying chunks of concrete caused by the blast. In response to the tragedy, Saakashvili dismissed the regional governor and the demolition crew.
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Soso Jincharadze, whose wife and daughter were killed in the memorial blast - A presidential spokeswoman said the government will compensate the victims' relatives.