16 September 2018, 11:10
Zaza Saralidze returns from hospital to building of Georgian parliament
Zaza Saralidze, an initiator of the action "Do not Kill", has been on the sixth day of his hunger strike with the demand for resignation of the Georgian government. Today, he has fallen ill. The hunger-striker is taken to the hospital.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on September 10, Zaza Saralidze went on a hunger strike near the Georgian parliament, along with other participants in the action "Don't kill – together on guard of justice" demanding resignation of the government.
The protests in Tbilisi related to the murder of two schoolboys began on May 31. Protesters said that investigators tried to shelter the murderers. The Parliament of Georgia had set up an interim inquiry commission; and protests were suspended. However, since September 10, they resumed, since Zaza Saralidze was not satisfied with the commission's conclusions.
An ambulance brought Zaza Saralidze to the Ingorokva Clinic at about 2:00 p.m. After the medical care had been provided to him, Zaza Saralidze returned to the parliament building and already reached it at about 8:00 p.m. "I feel weak now, of course. But I will still remain here to continue my protest action," Zaza Saralidze told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
Meanwhile, Zaza Saralidze has expressed doubts that the authorities will meet his demands. "I do not know if it makes sense to continue the hunger strike, since the government will not let to investigate the murder to the very end. But I will continue my protest action," the man emphasized.
Malkhaz Machalikashvili, another organizer of the protest action, has reported he is on hunger striker together with Zaza Saralidze. "Yes, I've been on hunger strike for six days already. I stay in a severe state because of my thoughts. But I did not feel bad during the period of the hunger strike, since I've got through hard lessons," Malkhaz Machalikashvili told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
Let us remind you that Temirlan, a 19-year-old son of Malkhaz Machalikashvili, was wounded to his head by law enforcers during a special operation carried out in the Pankisi Gorge on December 26, 2017. Two weeks later, the young man died in the hospital. According to the law enforcers, Temirlan Machalikashvili tried to attack them with a grenade. Family members of the killed young man claim that he was shot dead in bed. They repeatedly went to protest actions.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 15, 2018 at 11:37 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Beslan Kmuzov Source: CK correspondent
