Protests against Managese mines continue outside the US Embassy in Tbilisi

Hunger-strikers from the village of Chiatura have taken to the capital and gathered outside the US Embassy in Tbilisi to protest against the Georgian Managese mine, which produces and exports ferroalloys and manganese ore in Western Georgia.

“The government and the company did not pay any attention to us, and we came here. Maybe we can somehow make our voice heard at the embassy. We are going to spend the night here and will be staying here until our demands are heard,” one of the eight protesters told On.ge.

Earlier this month, three residents of the Shukruti village in Chiatura of the Imereti region of Western Georgia saw their mouths shut to protest against the environmental damage caused by the Georgian Manganese mine.

On May 20, Georgian Manganese announced that their contractor, Shukruti + Ltd., was ready to meet the demands of several residents of the village of Shukruti by involving the Samkharauli National Bureau of Expertise in the housing appraisal process. However, the company denies that its activities are causing damage to the nearby villages and refuse to pay compensation that the protesters demand stating that all the damage was caused by the mining carried out during the Soviet period and has already been compensated.

Georgia’s Public Defender’s Office has also responded to the Chiatura protests and called for then called on the relevant state agencies to ensure the protection of the local residents' right to housing and a healthy environment.

Protesters in Chiatura believe that as a result of improper ore processing and extraction, the river Kvirila, air, and drinking water are polluted and the soil in the nearby areas becomes useless for harvesting foods. The protesters claim that the activity of the mine causes landslides and damages to the roads and houses located in its vicinity.