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 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.
In 2021, Vera Kupatadze was one of eight people who spent a month on hunger strike, her lips sewn shut, to demand compensation from Georgian Manganese for damage to her property. Today, Vera is one of dozens of Shukrutians who are demanding action and clarity from the company, which operates the mines in Chiatura, on the fate of their houses and the entire village. [Read more: Mine entrance blocked near Shukruti in renewed protest against Georgian Manganese] During the 2021 protests,
