Shukruti villagers stop hunger strike

Residents of the Georgian village of Shukruti, located in Imereti, who demand compensations for their destroyed houses, have achieved the appraisal of the damage and ended their hunger strike, the protesters have informed.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on May 11, three Shukruti villagers stitched up their mouths, stating that the extraction of manganese carried out by the "Georgian Manganese" Company has led to the destruction of their houses; and they were in the state of emergency. By May 24, the number of hunger-strikers increased to eight; and on June 4, six women and five men went on a dry hunger strike at the US Embassy in Tbilisi.

Now, the Shukruti villagers have stopped their hunger strike, as they achieved an agreement with the "Georgian Manganese" Company and are returning home, the Georgian TV Channel "Formula" reported at night on June 10, the report of which was translated by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The protesters refused to tell the details of the agreements reached with the company, referring to the relevant preconditions. The protest action of Shukruti villagers lasted for 115 days.

The villagers have achieved the appraisal of the damage caused, said Giorgi Meparidze, one of the protesters. "We have reached an agreement that at our request, the Samkharauli Examination Bureau will calculate the amount of damage. Of course, we stopped the protest," Mr Meparidze said on air of the "Mtavari Arkhi" TV Channel, whose words were translated by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 10, 2021 at 09:12 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.