In March 2024, Giorgi Bitsadze, a loader operator at JM-Teknikaservisi LLC, a contractor of Georgian Manganese LLC, joined protests initiated by Shukruti residents demanding compensation for damaged and destroyed housing caused by Georgian Manganese's mining activities.

In the beginning of September, several Shukruti protest participants, sewed their mouths shut, began a hunger strike and ceased to report for work. Giorgi Bitsadze was among them. After the start of this strike, Giorgi was severely reprimanded and on September 5, he was dismissed from his job. The company accused him of missing work.