After authorities' promises, Batumi activists stop their hunger strike

The residents of Batumi, who demanded to extend social payments and defer payments on bank loans, have stopped their hunger strike after the promise of Tornike Rizhvadze, the head of the Adjara Government, to resolve these problems. People have the right to demand help from authorities, as they are in a difficult social situation due to the coronavirus epidemic, human rights defenders believe.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on October 19, in Batumi, five women, who were on a hunger strike with the above demands, stopped their protest after feeling worse. Giorgi Gorgiladze, who had earlier stopped his hunger strike, resumed it in front of the building of the Adjara Government.

The residents of Batumi stopped their hunger strike after the promise of the head of the government of Adjara, Tornike Rizhvadze, to resolve the compensation problem, said Giorgi Gorgiladze, the organizer of the action, who has added that in total 15 people took part in the hunger strike.

Dito Nozadze, a member of the Georgian Bar Association and a representative of the NGO "Human Rights Centre", also believes that the protesters' demand to extend the term for payment of compensation is legitimate.

According to his version, if one cannot repay a loan, the bank can take away the real estate, which the person had indicated as a loan guarantee, without a trial, and sell it at auction, leaving a small part to the borrower. "In this case, a family runs the risk of being left homeless," he has noted.