Hunger Strike in Gori

Street traders have been on hunger strike for three days in Gori. Officials from the local government have not met them yet. Only two members of the Municipality, Davit Kekelishvili and Mamuka Davituliani visited the strikers. They promised the traders to find alternative place for them. The only ‘result’ of the hunger strike is medical aid’s frequent visits to strikers.

Street traders demand place in the square nearby the market to sell products. “We have traded here for many years and we paid fees for that place. On December 5 the patrol police dismantled their stalls. We demand them to give us right to trade here again, because we have taken loans from the bank and percent for that loan is rising day-by-day. Local authority has not paid attention to us for four months. They neither promised us to give alternative places to go on with trading,” said Zaira Baliashvili, a street trader.

Marika Lominashvili, lawyer for the traders, said that several days ago the director of the market promised her clients to give some space to go on with trading. However, there is car-park in the offered area and borders are necessary to start trading there.

The traders said that the place is not suitable for their activities. After a rain a lot of ponds appear in the area. Traders’ complaints made the director change his mind to give any place to them.

“We demand only the place where people pass by. Let them cover a small distance there so that we were protected from rain and the sun.  If it is possible to start constructions in squares why should not we have right to trade in this place?! Shall we spoil anything?” said Leila Samkharadze.

According to Davituliani, the territory the traders are demanding for belongs to public square and they cannot allow them to trade there.

“We offered them a place in the market area; it needed only some borders to fetch there and the market administration should have resolved that problem. Part of street traders agree to carry on trading in that area but another part is against. They should decide finally and then we will understand what to do,” said Davituliani.

According to Anzor Kachkachishvili, director of the market said that he had offered several alternative places to the traders but they refused.

“I have been offering them various places for three months, but they demand to trade in the square. It is against law. If they decide to go on trading in the market area we will provide them with borders,” said Kachkachishvili.

Street traders are going to hold protest demonstration in front of the President’s administration in Tbilisi unless the authority satisfies their demands.

The lawyer of the traders will soon appeal to the court against the patrol policemen and demand compensation for the damage her clients.

“The patrol policemen assaulted the traders while they were dismantling the counters. One of the traders, Tamila Shevardenidze was seriously injured,” said the lawyer.

The traders have received a letter from the Georgian Patrol Police Department that stated that the behavior of patrol policemen during the dismantling the counters was beyond any norms.

Thea Tedliashvili, Gori