Shukruti residents, who have been protesting in Tbilisi since September 11, have issued a statement in response to comments made by the Speaker of Parliament and the Prime Minister. As is known, 6 participants in the protest have been on a hunger strike since September 1, and their health condition is serious.
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"We would like to respond to the statements made yesterday by the Speaker of Parliament and the Prime Minister regarding our protest.
That is why we came here from Chiatura, and why several participants resorted to the extreme measure of a hunger strike - because the central government does not listen to us or heed our request.
As you know, since March 14, we have been holding a continuous protest in Chiatura, near the Korokhnali and Shukruti mines.
During these 6 months, no one from the central or local government has come to meet with us. Even now, as we stand in front of the Parliament building in Tbilisi, the Speaker of Parliament and the Prime Minister are making statements without even sending a representative to understand our situation.
Instead, they are repeating the information spread by Georgian Manganese that we have received full compensation, which is a lie, and we are prepared to provide documentation to prove it. Therefore, we request the involvement of the central government in resolving this issue.
We have only one request: that Georgian Manganese assess the damage through the forensic examination bureau and pay fair compensation to the affected families.
The company assumed this obligation in 2021 with a memorandum signed with us, but it later violated the agreement, failed to fulfill its promises, and referred to the advance payments made to a few affected families as full compensation.
Unfortunately, the health condition of the hunger strikers is deteriorating every day. They will not stop protesting until their just demands are met.
We appeal to Parliament, the government, and the public defender to listen to us and do everything in their power to protect our rights. Despite the fact that we are entirely in the right, Georgian Manganese is so influential that we cannot defend our rights, even in court.
We also call on all those who support the protection of human rights in this country and oppose oppression to join us for a solidarity rally in front of Parliament on Monday, September 16, at 7:00 p.m.," the Shukruti residents said in their statement.
On September 13, Irakli Kobakhidze said, "We looked into these individuals and the organizers of the protest; each of them has received tens of thousands of GEL in compensation from the company. If anything additional is required to the company, perhaps negotiations will take place. This is the information we have at this time. The company's job is to conduct negotiations."
"The company has released information stating that those involved in the protest have been fully compensated. At least, this is what appeared in the company's statement. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate what specific issues are connected to each protest or complaint," said the Speaker of Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili.
