Opposition Meets to Discuss Planned ‘Mass Hunger Strike’

Leaders from the nine-party opposition coalition met on February 17 to discuss next week’s activities in the lead-up to a planned protest rally on February 22.

The opposition said it planned simultaneous protest rallies and the launch of “a mass hunger strike” on February 22 in about a dozen towns throughout Georgia, including Tbilisi, if its demands were not met. The opposition has also warned it would turn the country into “a town of tents.” As a taste of what is to come, opposition activists erected a few tents behind the Party of People’s offices in the presence of journalists on February 17.

Meanwhile, Koba Davitashvili, leader of Party of People, reiterated on February 17 that the nine-party coalition would only resume talks with the authorities if three key demands were met: the release of ‘political prisoners’ and the dismissal of Central Election Commission Chairman Levan Tarkhnishvili and public TV Director-General Tamar Kintsurashvili.

Opposition leaders said at a protest rally in Tbilisi on February 15 that they planned to “mobilize” volunteers willing to go on hunger strike. “We need two groups of volunteers,” MP Levan Gachechiladze of the nine-party coalition told thousands of protesters. “One group to go on hunger strike and another group to protect the hunger strikers.”

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