03 October 2007, 11:39
Protest action of blind people held at the mayoralty building in Tbilisi, Georgia
Today, a protest action of the Association for Defence of Blind People's Rights took place at the mayoralty building of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia.
The protesters demand to restore their social privileges, especially the privileges in using municipal transport. We remind you that the privileges were abolished after launching the State Programme for Overcoming Poverty.
"They'll have to address the Social Agency, then, the applicants will be visited by social agents who will study their social status. The agents will then decide about the privileges," the lady from the mayoralty of the city in charge of public relations has informed the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
An elderly woman felt bad and was taken away by an ambulance. Several persons started a protest hunger strike right at the building of the mayoralty.
Earlier, the "Caucasian Knot" has informed that the members of the Union of Blind People of Georgia went on their hunger strike on June 16. The members of the organization demanded to dismiss Revaz Maisuradze, Chairman of the Union, and protested against possible transfer of the Union's property to other people and accused Mr Maisuradze of wasting the Union's funds.
To stop the protest action in the form of a hunger strike, Revaz Maisuradze called the police, but the law enforcement workers refused to apply force for driving the people out of the Union's office.
Author: Edita Badasian, CK correspondent
