Gedevan Popkhadze - 8 people continue their hunger strike, everyone's condition is normal - with our protest, we must tell people to step out of their comfort zone and stop thinking about living with the regime
One of the leaders of the Coalition for Change, Gedevan Popkhadze, along with several activists, continues his hunger strike in front of the parliament.
Gedevan Popkhadze has been on a hunger strike for the 18th day in a row at the front entrance of the parliament.
As he told InterpressNews, the situation in the country is unbearable and Georgia is heading towards isolation and Russian dictatorship.
“There are 8 people on hunger strike, everyone’s general condition is normal, we are calling for emergency medical assistance and checking the parameters to make sure everything is stable.
We believe that at this stage we had to say something with our actions, not with arguments. The situation in the country is unbearable, the country is moving towards isolation and Russian dictatorship. The prisons are filled with political prisoners, we thought this form of protest was appropriate. Hunger strike is a form of protest that the national liberation movement used against the Soviet empire. Therefore, this method still has its effect today.
I think that this action has strengthened the Rustaveli protest. We endlessly call on everyone to strengthen this protest even more, with protests in solidarity with the hunger strikers, 24-hour gatherings, and conversations about what the Georgian people should do to strengthen this protest. Therefore, I think the hunger strike should continue.
With our protest, we must say something to those people who cannot leave their comfort zone and think that it is possible to coexist with the regime under these conditions. We must leave our comfort zone and stop thinking about coexistence with the regime! We call on our international partners to support the Georgian people’s struggle for independence, freedom, democracy and membership in the European family to the fullest extent possible,” said Gedevan Popkhadze.
For information, Gedevan Popkhadze resorted to an extreme form of protest on October 28 and began a hunger strike. Darejan Tskhvitaria and several other activists went on a hunger strike together with the opposition leader. Their demand is “to release political prisoners and to schedule new parliamentary elections.”
