In the village of Shukruti, near the central Georgian mining city of Chiatura, people have had enough. For the past two weeks, local residents have blockaded the entrances to mines owned by Georgian Manganese. They blame the company for their collapsing houses and are demanding compensation.
Authors: Dato Parulava, Mariam Nikuradze
The detention of four miners dramatically changed the direction of the Chiatura protest.
The miners stopped their hunger strike after being informed that doing so would help the release of their detained coworkers.
Unlike in many other countries, 1 May is not an official public holiday in Georgia.
The miners are calling on the government to step in to resume manganese mining in the central Georgian town of Chiatura.
