In Georgia, women-prisoners interrupt their protest hunger strike

Today, in Georgia, a group of prisoners of the Tbilisi women's colony stopped their hunger strike to protest against transfer of children under three years old to children's homes.

The "Caucasian Knot" reported that women-prisoners announced the beginning of a hunger strike starting from today. Their main demand was to change the legislation, which would allow young children being with their mothers kept in colony.

According to lawyer Djumber Melorava, the women agreed to interrupt their hunger strike after David Bakradze, Speaker of the Parliament, agreed to consider their issue.

"I was allowed, as an NGO member, to come to the prison, where I met woman-prisoner Elene Sukhishvili, and she passed the request of other women-participants of the hunger strike not to separate them from their children. The request was passed to MPs, since women asked namely the legislative change that would allow them to have their children with them. David Bakradze, Speaker of the Parliament, responded to the appeal," the lawyer said.

According to Melorava, David Bakradze has promised to answer on the nearest days, whether it is possible to keep children with their mothers in colony. "Depending on his answer, women will decide, whether they will continue their protest action. Until then, it was decided not to transfer children out of prison and to provide their mothers with access to them," Sergo Melorava has added.