Tbilisi hunger-strikers stop their action

The employees of the Georgian Railways, who have been on their hunger strike for 18 days, can no longer put their health at risk, said Vitaly Giorgadze, the president of the new Trade Union of Georgian Railway Workers.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that employees of the Georgian Railways announced a hunger strike on August 15, stating that they would not stop their protest action until their demands for reinstatement at older workplace in Kakheti were fulfilled.

"We decided to stop the hunger strike. The protesters managed to keep it for 18 days; their decision to stop it was taken unanimously by 14 railwaymen, who participated in the hunger strike. We could no longer risk the health and life of the hunger-strikers. Railway bosses would not contact us, same as government officials," Vitaly Giorgadze, the leader of the new trade union, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to his story, protesters intend to "continue the struggle in the courts." "First we’ll go through all the instances at Georgian courts, and then turn to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR)," Mr Giorgadze said.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.