The opposition party “Gakharia for Georgia” is appealing to the sixth President of Georgia, Mikheil Kavelashvili, with a call to release the detained Chiatura miners — Giorgi Neparidze, Merab Saralidze, Tengiz Gvelesiani, and Archil Chumburidze.
Shalva Kereselidze, an MP from the party, stated in parliament that the release of the miners from custody “would be a political act of national significance, aimed at achieving public consensus and restoring democratic stability.”
He stated that the population of Chiatura demands:
- the release of the detained Chiatura miners — Giorgi Neparidze, Merab Saralidze, Tengiz Gvelesiani, and Achiko Chumburidze;
- dignified labor compensation, as more than 2,000 out of 3,500 employed miners have been left without income;
- strict compliance with labor safety standards, given the complex and high-risk working conditions;
- the extraction of raw materials via underground methods, as resources in Chiatura are being exhausted, open-pit mines are almost entirely depleted, and there are deserted and ruined villages, cracks in houses, disillusioned youth, rising migration, a polluted environment, and destroyed infrastructure.
The MP reminded that the Chiatura miners have been continuously holding protests in Chiatura and at various government institutions, demanding that their requirements be met, but their problems have remained ignored.
Kereselidze also pointed out that more than 60% of Chiatura’s population is registered in the database of the socially vulnerable, and a third of the municipality’s residents receive social benefits.
“The detention of the Chiatura miners is linked to a sharp wave of social protest directed against ‘Georgian Manganese,’ caused by extreme hardship, worsening working conditions, and the deprivation of livelihoods.
That is why our parliamentary team and the ‘For Georgia’ faction express full solidarity and support for the detained miners and call on the Georgian authorities: if you truly have the political will to reduce tension and stabilize the situation in the country, do not start looking for the guilty, do not demand admission of guilt, and do not accuse people of anti-state actions.
Reconcile with your people, with the youth, and release the miners from custody…”, Kereselidze stated.