Jaba Ioseliani is a thief in law. Jaba Konstantinovich Ioseliani, his biography and photo

He was in prison under Stalin and Khrushchev, Brezhnev and Gorbachev, Yeltsin and Gamsakhurdia. Having spent nearly half of his life in places not so distant, Jaba Ioseliani became a criminal, political and scientific figure in Georgia. Being a thief in the law, nicknamed "Dub", he was the actual ruler of the country from 1991 to 1995.

Childhood and youth of criminal authority, first conclusions

Jaba Konstantinovich Ioseliani, whose biography is considered in this article, was born in 1926 in the Georgian city of Khashuri. The father of the boy worked on the railway, and the mother was a teacher. The childhood of the future criminal authority passed in poverty. Early orphaned, he was brought up by the street and earned his living by theft. Ioseliani received his first term as a 16-year-old. For theft with robbery, the Molotov District Court of Tbilisi sentenced him to five years in prison.

In 1948, the guy received early release. Having moved to the northern capital, on a forged certificate (he had not graduated from high school by that time), Jaba entered the Leningrad University. Pushkin at the Faculty of Oriental Studies. Possessing brilliant intelligence, he became one of the best students. Teachers, who did not stop to praise the intellectual abilities of their high achiever and activist, were amazed when they suddenly learned that in his free time he was engaged in illegal actions. In 1951 Jaba Konstantinovich was arrested in Leningrad and was sentenced to 1 year in prison for hooliganism.

The beginning of literary activity

Soon after the second term, a third followed. This time, Ioseliani was caught in an armed assault with murder and was sentenced to imprisonment for 25 years. While in prison, he, unlike his cellmates, who spend time playing cards, started writing. Jaba's stories were so masterfully written that, despite his being in places not so distant, they began to be published in literary magazines. Ioseliani Jaba Konstantinovich jokingly called his work of the period of imprisonment "chamber literature". The fate of the talented writer-cons acclaimed prominent cultural figures of the Georgian SSR. Upon their petition in 1965, Ioseliani was released ahead of schedule.

Life of Ioseliani in the 60's - first half of the 80's

Caught in freedom, 38-year-old Jaba decided to start a new life. He received a secondary education in the evening school, then entered the Tbilisi Theater Institute, first defended his Ph.D., and then his doctoral dissertation. Becoming a professor, he worked at the theater institute as a teacher. Reading lectures to students, I could not forget about my criminal past Jaba Ioseliani. The thief in the law mediated in the illegal supply of Georgian fruits and vegetables to the countless markets of the Soviet Union. For his services the former prisoner received good money, which allowed him to live in his own pleasure. However, this did not prevent him from expressing dissatisfaction with the share that he fell into for his dirty and risky work. In his opinion, it was "not according to the concepts", and their criminal authority tried to adhere strictly. Ioseliani was so colorful and charismatic figure that in the early 70s the famous Georgian writer Nodar Dumbadze made him the prototype of the hero of his novel "White Flags" by Limon Devdariani, behind which the glory of the "honest" thief in the law.

Literary Creativity

Combining teaching in a theatrical institute with criminal activity, Ioseliani Jaba Konstantinovich found time for literary activity. He wrote scientific articles, monographs and works of art. The author of the thief in the law has 6 plays, which were later staged on the stages of Tbilisi theaters. From fiction, his novels "Train No. 113", "The Land of Limonia" and "Three Dimensions" were most popular. Written in a lively and vibrant language, they capture the attention of readers from the first pages and do not release it until the very end.

Coming into politics, the creation of the Mkhedrioni

In the mid-80s Jaba Ioseliani, whose photo can be seen in the article, was enthusiastically greeted with the news of the beginning of perestroika. Having dropped his teaching activity and stopped writing, he began to take an active part in the political life of Georgia. In 1989, he created a nationalist militarized formation of the Mkhedrioni (Horsemen). Its members called themselves successors of medieval partisan detachments fighting against Turkish and Persian conquerors. They gave an oath to protect the Georgian lands and people living on them. Members of the Mkhedrioni wore sweaters, jeans, jackets and sunglasses, which were not taken off even in the room. Each "rider" on his neck hung a medallion with his name and blood type on one side and a picture of George the Victorious on the other.

The organization created by Jaba Ioseliani, in fact, was an illegal criminal group, which included criminals, drug addicts and street homeless children. Soon members of the Mkhedrioni entered the Georgian parliament. The group of Juba Konstantinovich took part in the majority of armed conflicts taking place on the Georgian territory. But the main achievement of the "riders" is that they overthrew the regime of Zviad Gamsakhurdia and helped to come to power Eduard Shevardnadze.

Attempt to seize power

In 1990, multi-party elections took place in Georgia, at which the Communists were defeated. The Supreme Council of the republic was headed by Zviad Gamsakhurdia, to whom Ioseliani had personal dislike. The thief in the law called him "fascist" and accused of violating human rights and freedoms. In early 1991, Jaba Konstantinovich tried to enter the Mkhedrioni fighters in Tbilisi, for which he was seized by the Interior Ministry troops and thrown in jail.

In the spring of the same year, Georgia receives the status of an independent republic, and Gamsakhurdia becomes its president. Behind all these events I watched from prison Jaba Ioseliani. The thief, accustomed to living by concepts, was powerless during this period of time and could not prevent his opponent from coming to power.

The military coup

The policy pursued by Gamsakhurdia was ill-considered and inconsistent, because of which he quickly lost support of the society. In August 1991, after the anti-government coup in Moscow, he ordered the National Emergency Committee to be disbanded at the direction of the State Emergency Committee, thus committing an unforgivable mistake. Guardsmen, refusing to join the ranks of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, unite with the Mkhedrioni and in December 1991 commit a coup d'etat by overthrowing Gamsakhurdia and releasing Ioseliani from prison. After being released, Jaba Konstantinovich together with the commander of the Guards troops Tengiz Kitovani creates the Military Council, which is subsequently transformed into the State Council. However, the new government did not enjoy the support of people, and then Ioseliani invites the post of chairman of the created State Council Edward Shevardnadze. According to the criminal authority, he was the most suitable candidate for leading the country.

Ioseliani in the first half of the 90s

From the moment Shevardnadze came to power and until 1995, the actual ruler of Georgia was Jaba Ioseliani. His biography shows that throughout this period he influenced the policy in the country, relying on the support of the militarized group he created. Although Ioseliani himself brought Shevardnadze to power and helped him become president, he was not pleased with his actions as head of state. The tense relations between politicians led to the fact that in August 1995 the Mkhedrioni fighters and their leader were accused of organizing an attempt on Edward Shevardnadze. As a result, Jaba Konstantinovich was arrested and after a lengthy trial was sentenced to eleven years in prison. The group he created was outlawed.

Last years

In 2001, Eduard Shevardnadze unexpectedly pardoned his former comrade-in-arms. After leaving, 75-year-old Ioseliani decided to return to politics. He ran for deputies at passing by-elections to the Georgian parliament, but suffered a crushing defeat. Not wishing to sit around, Jaba Konstantinovich returned to literary activity. Shortly before his death, he visited Moscow with the presentation of his books translated into Russian. The thief in the law died March 4, 2003 from a stroke. He was buried in Tbilisi on the territory of the Didube pantheon of famous people of Georgia.