Committee for Independence of Georgia

The Committee for the Independence of Georgia (Georgian: საქართველოს დამოუკიდებლობის კომიტეტი, Sak’art’velos damoukideblobis komiteti) or the Parity Committee (პარიტეტული კომიტეტი, Paritetuli komiteti) was an underground anti-Soviet organization active in the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic in the early 1920s. It is commonly known as "Damkom" (short for damoukideblobis komiteti, the Committee for Independence). The Committee was responsible for the preparation and guidance of the abortive August Uprising of 1924.

The Committee was formed early in May 1922 as a result of the negotiations of the Georgian Social Democrats (Mensheviks), a former ruling party in pre-Communist Georgia, with its erstwhile political opposition – the National Democratic Party, the Federalist Party, the Social Revolutionaries (SRs) and the Skhivi (“Beam”) Party. Each party was represented by one member in the Damkom (hence the organization’s alternative name, the Parity Committee), which was traditionally chaired by a Menshevik. Gogita Paghava was the first chairman; he was shortly succeeded by Nikoloz Kartsivadze, who was arrested by the Soviet secret police, Cheka, on 16 March 1923, and was replaced with Kote Andronikashvili. Throughout its existence, the Secretary of the Damkom was Yason Javakhishvili of the National Democratic Party.

The accord signed by the members of the Damkom envisaged the overthrow of the Bolshevik regime through a nationwide uprising, restoration of the Democratic Republic of Georgia and the formation of a coalition government. The Committee maintained close contacts with the Government of Georgia-in-exile though its "Constantinople Bureau" based in Istanbul, Turkey. The Committee set up a military center chaired by the retired general Kote Abkhazi, who was to prepare for a popular insurrection. Several members of the former Menshevik government returned clandestinely from exile, including the former Minister of Agriculture, Noe Khomeriki, as well as the former commander of the People’s Guard, Valiko Jugheli.

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