On June 1, 1999, Giorgi Kervalishvili, president of the All-Georgian Association for the Protection of Human Rights, declared a hunger strike. His demands were as follows:

1. The current authorities must immediately stop dispersing peaceful rallies and protest actions.
2. All those who issued orders and carried out punitive actions during the dispersal of the peaceful rally on May 26 and the student hunger strikes on May 31 and June 6 must be held accountable.
3. An international legal mechanism must be enacted to guarantee the immunity of the family of Georgia’s first president.
4. The OMON riot police unit must be abolished, and diplomatic representatives must properly assess the total violations of human rights in Georgia.

Later, members of the “Round Table” joined Kervalishvili at the “Colchian Tower,” though they had only one demand: “Shevardnadze and his junta must resign immediately.”

According to the newspaper Iberia Spectrum, about 200 people from different regions were on hunger strike in the tower. Similar hunger strikes were also taking place in the Kutaisi regional office of the Association for the Protection of Human Rights and in Zugdidi, where around 80 people joined. Political prisoners also joined in — 15 inmates in various prisons and colonies announced hunger strikes in solidarity.

Kervalishvili received a letter from prisoner Davit Bichiashvili, who had been on hunger strike since May 13 of that year. Bichiashvili demanded Shevardnadze’s resignation, the restoration of the 1990–91 Supreme Council, the release of all political prisoners convicted since 1992, and an end to the persecution of Zviad Gamsakhurdia’s supporters. After 65 days of hunger strike, Bichiashvili had lost 44 kilograms but refused any medical assistance. He had been imprisoned on charges of illegal possession of firearms.

The June 21 issue of Kviris Palitra reported that Giorgi Kervalishvili ended his hunger strike due to health deterioration.

The July 6 issue of Droni noted that President Shevardnadze appeared “rather tolerant” toward the ongoing hunger strike of Zviadists at the Colchian Tower and did not intend to use force to end it.

The walls of the “Colchian Tower” were covered with inscriptions left by the strikers: “Forgive us, Georgia’s first crucified president!” “The Erkhemali will rise, the lamb will be crushed like an egg, amen!” “Colchis will not kneel!” “Kakheti does not sleep, it loves Zviad!” “Svaneti is with you, Mr. Zviad. The Lord has already shown many miracles in this world, and we await another one — your return!”