Opposition’s Hunger Strike Widens

(Tbilisi, July 19, 2003, Civil Georgia) – Five representatives of the National Movement opposition party launched the hunger strike on July 18 in western Georgian city of Kutaisi demanding from the government to pay pension backlog in Kutaisi. 

Seven MPs from the National Movement continue a hunger strike in the Justice Ministry in Tbilisi, demanding from the Minister to execute the court’s ruling that the pension backlog be paid immediately to the pensioners in Samtredia district in western Georgia.

President Shevardnadze said on July 18 while commenting on the hunger strike that there is no real ground for protest, as the government has already launched to pay the pension.

“They [hunger stickers] only want to lose weight,” Shevardnadze said.

While the Justice Minister Roland Giligashvili said that the hunger strikers are motivated less by concern for the Samtredia pensioners. He added that the hunger striker MPs’ desire is to attract the public attention on the eve of the Parliamentary elections scheduled for November 2.

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