In the village near Batumi, Georgia, Natalia Kuznetsova gazes at the abandoned house her grandfather Hasan Dishli Oglu built in the 1930s. He vanished without a trace in 1937, when he was apprehended by the Soviet secret police during the height of the Great Terror. Natalia's father, Iakob Kuznetsov, spent his final days tortured by the mystery of his father's fate. Now, almost 85 years later, forensic experts, historians, and families are coming together to uncover the truth about the atrocities committed during Stalin's reign.

The decaying house, left scorched and deserted after a recent fire, stands as a heartbreaking reminder of Hasan's disappearance and the intergenerational grief passed down to Natalia. In Georgia, where almost 15,000 people are believed to have been killed during the Great Terror, the wounds of the past still run deep. However, there has been a lack of concerted national effort to investigate Soviet crimes and confront the dark chapters of history. Sociologists point to widespread amnesia, ambivalence, and even denial among Georgians regarding these executions.

Nevertheless, a growing momentum is building among forensic experts and families to locate the victims and seek justice for their loved ones. The Georgian Association of Forensic Anthropology (GAFA) has established the country's first forensic anthropology laboratory, led by Meri Gonashvili. The lab contains dozens of boxes labeled with unique codes, containing human bones and artifacts found at gravesites.

Meri, dressed in black theatre scrubs and surgical gloves, meticulously reconstructs fragments of human skulls, piecing together the evidence of trauma inflicted upon the victims. The work is emotionally taxing, but Meri remains focused on the task at hand. She emphasizes the importance of accurate forensic analysis before proceeding with DNA testing to ensure the correct identification of the remains.

The excavation efforts have yielded some results. So far, approximately 150 skeletal remains have been exhumed from a series of mass graves at a military base near Batumi. Some of the extracted DNA samples have been matched with living descendants, providing closure for families who have long awaited answers. However, identifying all the victims is a task that could span a lifetime.

The Georgian Orthodox Church has also participated in the excavations, uncovering 150 bodies from four mass graves at a former military base in Khelvachauri. While their reburial plans faced opposition and contention from Muslim leaders due to concerns over Christian reburials of Muslim victims, progress is slowly being made. Efforts to secure funding for DNA analysis and engage more families in the identification process remain ongoing challenges.

The investigation into Stalin's victims in Georgia faces numerous obstacles, from insufficient funding to political indifference. The Georgian government has been reluctant to support research and address the ongoing pain caused by past atrocities. Additionally, the weaponization of history by Russia and disinformation campaigns have influenced public discourse in Georgia, making it even harder to bring about a collective reckoning with the past.

Despite these challenges, there is hope for closure. Families like Natalia's and Zura Zakharaidze's, who lost loved ones during the Great Terror, continue to advocate for the proper identification and honoring of their ancestors. They envision a future where all victims can find their resting place in a dedicated memorial. The battle against collective amnesia and the power dynamics of those who wish to suppress the truth may be ongoing, but the determination to uncover the past and heal the wounds of the past remains steadfast.

As the remains of Natalia's grandfather, Hasan, are laid to rest, a sense of bittersweet hope permeates the air. The families affected by Stalin's purges have found strength and support in each other, forming a close-knit community. They carry on their quest for truth, urging the government and society at large to recognize and acknowledge the crimes of the past. They speak not only for their own loved ones but also for the 15,000 Georgians who are still missing, yearning to bring them home and lay them to rest with dignity.