Gedevan Popkhadze and several activists begin hunger strike

On Rustaveli Avenue, in front of the Parliament, one of the members of the Coalition for Change, Gedevan Popkhadze, together with several others, has begun a hunger strike. Among them is National Movement member Darejan Tskhvitaria.

According to Popkhadze, blocking the street should not be the only form of protest used by participants.

“The situation today is such that members of the protest movement are being arrested daily, and the country is rapidly moving toward dictatorship. The only way to stop this process is to return everything to a political framework. If we do not agree that there must not be a parliament elected through rigged elections and that there must not be political prisoners, the country simply will not be able to develop.

Blocking the street is not the only form of protest we should rely on. We must create a new focal point of resistance. The government’s actions in response to the blocking of Rustaveli Avenue — which is the people’s constitutional right — should be answered with a different form of protest. This is not a radically new form, but it is effective and, in my view, appropriate to the reality created by the regime,” Popkhadze said.

According to Darejan Tskhvitaria, the continuation of the protest is now the most important task.

“We have resorted to an extreme measure — a hunger strike. There were many of us on the list, and 10–15 people have already been arrested. I believe that blocking Rustaveli Avenue is no longer as important as continuing the protest itself. Anyone who wishes to expand this protest can join us. It will be ongoing,” Tskhvitaria said.