Soviet-Era Monument Demolished In Georgia

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.

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.

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.

Soso Jincharadze, whose wife and daughter were killed in the memorial blast - A presidential spokeswoman said the government will compensate the victims' relatives.