2 September 2024

...[T]hree protesters from the village of Shukruti sewed their lips shut in an attempt to attract attention to their protest against the damage manganese mining is causing to their homes. This latest action follows more than five months of continuous protest by local residents...

The protesters decided to sew their lips shut on 26 August after a group of Shukruti residents were unable to complete a protest march to Chorvila, the birthplace of Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, two days prior. Upon their arrival to the village, local residents blocked the road as police stood by...

Jumber Tsutskiridze, one of the men who decided to sew his lips shut, had worked in the Mghvimevi Mine as an excavator operator for seven years, before being fired in July. After being dismissed, he took his case to court...

Tsutskiridze said that Georgian Manganese, the company that owns the license to operate mines in Chiatura, had lied to them many times, including after a protest in 2021, during which eight people from Shukruti sewed their lips shut for a month. 

That time, the company signed an agreement with the protesters, but the terms were never fulfilled.

Amiran Shekiladze was among those eight protesters; on Sunday, he again sewed his lips shut, this time in desperation.

According to Shekiladze, while last time he didn’t have any illusions that the agreement would be valid, the protesters just ‘couldn't take it anymore’, and so ended the protest...

Giorgi Bitsadze, the third protester who sewed his mouth shut on Sunday, was also fired from his job earlier this year. He has two stitches on his lips. When he leaves the tent, he wears a facemask in order to not scare his son, who is joining him in the protest along with his wife...

A few weeks ago, Magharoeli LLC, a subcontractor of Georgian Manganese, sued the protesters demanding compensation of ₾5 million ($1.9 million) for company loss experienced as result of the protest. A court decision prohibited any protests from being held outside the mine while the trial is ongoing. However, protesters have continued their protest at the original location, blocking the entrance of the Korokhnali mine...