Disabled People Go on Hunger-strike at Office of Public Defender
Tbilisi. 11.04.05. Media News. The representatives of the NGO Coalition of Veterans and Disabled People have gone on a hunger-strike at the office of the Public Defender.
They are demanding that the Georgian government follow through on a ruling made by the Supreme Court to give them the 691 GEL “that was appropriated by the old government”.
Protesters also want the Georgian government to carry out the National Plan, which will help their integration in the society.
One of their demands is to be referred to as ‘persons with limited capacities’ instead of ‘disabled persons,’ in accord with international standards.
Hunger-strikers accuse the Georgian government of having an indifferent attitude and state that this year only 580 GEL was allocated in the budget for the programmes for the disabled, though the previous government had allocated 800 GEL.
Before the hunger-strike they organized a press conference together with the Public Defender of Georgia Sozar Subari, who agrees that the government should work out a plan for solving the problems of disabled people. He also said that the Supreme Court’s decision should be executed, although this would not immediately solve all the issues at hand.