On the 43rd day of their hunger strike, protesters from Shukruti village have ceased this extreme form of protest. The decision came after Georgian Dream party MP Rati Ionatamishvili offered to mediate negotiations with Georgian Manganese company.
“He said he would act as a mediator. We agreed. However, we have not ended our protest entirely. At this stage, we have only stopped the hunger strike,” George Tsartsidze, who had been on hunger strike in front of Parliament for exactly 43 days, told Maisi News. “Today or tomorrow we expect a response from the company to fulfill our demand and sign agreements, which means meeting our requirement – for the Samkharauli Forensics Bureau to examine each Shukruti resident’s house and issue a conclusion.”
Whether Georgian Manganese will agree to the striking employees’ demands is likely to become clear on October 15. Details will be known after this meeting.
“We’ll see what their response will be, but the protest planned for October 17 in front of Parliament will still take place,” Tsartsidze said.
The protest in Shukruti village began 6 months ago, moving to Tbilisi outside Parliament on September 11. Residents claim the company was extracting ore in violation of regulations, causing their houses to collapse. They demand compensation for the damage. However, they have expressed distrust in the audit commissioned by the company and insist that the Samkharauli Bureau of Expertise examine their houses and land plots. They are now awaiting the fulfillment of this demand. The company maintains that it has already paid out compensations, but locals told us that the sums received by some villagers were given as advances.
Shukruti residents had been on hunger strike in front of Parliament for 43 days. During this time, several were hospitalized due to health complications. They spent nights in the open air, and despite inclement weather, police did not allow them to set up tents, further complicating their situation. On the 33rd day of the hunger strike, women from the village joined the protesters.
