11:55, 6 June 2021

Tbilisi hunger-strikers complain of health worsening

Participants of a hunger strike in Tbilisi. June 5, 2021. Photo by Inna Kukudjanova for the "Caucasian Knot"

Residents of the village of Shukruti are on a dry hunger strike for the second day at the US Embassy in Georgia, seeking compensations from the Georgian Manganese Company for their damaged houses. The activists have stated that they could no longer stand on their feet because of weakness.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on May 11, in Imereti, three Shukruti villagers stitched up their mouths, claiming that the extraction of manganese by the Georgian Manganese Company had led destructed their houses. On June 4, about ten protesters went on a hunger strike outside the US Embassy.

The Georgian Manganese Company would not make concessions and noted that they were already paying compensations to villagers. However, on May 16, the company announced that it had reached an agreement with them and promised to pay more than USD 205 million during the next 15 months.

"We won't stop our hunger strike until our problems are resolved," one of the protesters has stated.

According to activists, Kelly Degnan, the US Ambassador to Georgia, showed interest in the action, while Georgian authorities failed to react in any way.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 5, 2021 at 08:02 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Author: Inna Kukudjanova

Source: CK correspondent