The Shukruti village residents’ hunger strike in front of parliament building has been stopped.
Rati Ionatamishvili, deputy of the ruling party and mediator of the negotiations between Georgian Manganese, and the protesters, was announced.
Despite the end of the hunger-strike, the residents of Shukruti will continue to protest until the final agreement is reached.
The hunger strike lasted 43 days.
The participants demanded compensation from the central government for the damage done to the village of Shukruti by the mining company Georgian Manganese and its activities.
Shukruti residents claim that the Georgian Manganese’s work has destroyed their homes, damaged the soil, yards, and plots, and made life in the village unbearable.
As a form of protest, some participants began a hunger strike. Four of them also sewed their lips shut on September 1.
Shukruti has been protesting for six months. Locals claim that Georgian Manganese is extracting ore from the soil of the village. This has resulted in collapsed houses, barrenness of plants, and dried up wells.
The protesters and a part of the local community demand that the company “Georgian Manganese”, which was involved in the protest, fulfill the agreement reached at the end of the 2019-2021 protest. According to the memorandum that was signed with the residents in Shukruti Village, the company must pay 700,000 GEL – 1,000,000 GEL each year by 2020. Georgian Manganese claims it has already paid three times as much compensation. Locals, however, note that only 5% received compensation.
Image source: Netgazeti
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