Tens of thousands rallied in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, March 31, the anniversary of the 1991 referendum for independence from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics that passed by 99%. That vote capped growing protests and a brutal attack by Soviet troops on peaceful demonstrators that left 21 people dead in Tbilisi two years earlier. On April 9, 1991, Georgia declared its independence, part of the total collapse of the Soviet Union later that year.
Over the past four months thousands of Georgians have demonstrated in Tbilisi, demanding a new presidential election and the release of people jailed by the pro-Moscow Georgian Dream government. Daily protests began at the end of November when Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced postponement of further discussions on joining the European Union until at least 2028.
While the government has pulled back from the large-scale police assaults carried out in the first weeks, arrests continue, with some 49 people in jail now facing up to 10 years in prison. Hundreds have been released with hefty fines. One protester told France24 he was “ready to face police violence” when he joined the rallies. Instead, he received a summons for 45,000 lari ($16,365), more than 22 months’ of his salary.
Hundreds of miners in Chiatura demonstrated March 5, above, and brought their protest to Tbilisi March 24. Mining operations were shut down by Georgian Manganese March 7, with claims the company is not profitable. The 3,500 workers are facing layoffs on top of three months of unpaid wages.
The miners, members of the Georgian Trade Union of Metallurgy, Mining and Chemical Industry Workers, demand the company be nationalized. “A new investor will not change our situation — one slave owner will simply replace another,” protest leader Tariel Mikatsadze told the crowd in Tbilisi. “We demand that the state take responsibility for manganese extraction and manage the enterprise alongside the working class.”