Chiatura miners protest outside Prosecutor’s Office over prison sentences

Miners from Chiatura, western Georgia, are staging a demonstration outside the General Prosecutor’s Office in Tbilisi, demanding a re-examination of the case that led to the conviction of four of their colleagues.

Family members, co-workers, and supporters gathered at the site, carrying banners calling for “Freedom and Solidarity for the Unlawfully Detained Miners.”

One of the miners told reporters “we are asking for a fresh investigation because those currently serving sentences were not involved in the crime they are accused of. Video surveillance from the scene was never collected. The allegation that the act was premeditated is not true, and the prosecutor’s witnesses gave conflicting statements.”

The miners in question – Merab Saralidze, Giorgi Neparidze, Tengiz Gvelesiani, and Achiko Chumburidze – were arrested on 28 April 2025. Authorities accused them of physically assaulting the director of the Shukhuti mine, causing injuries to several parts of his body.

On 20 January, Judge Tamar Mazanishvili of the Kutaisi City Court sentenced Saralidze and Neparidze to 6 years and 3 months in prison each, while Gvelesiani and Chumburidze received 4 years and 3 months each.