On June 12, 2000, displaced persons from Abkhazia and Shida Kartli gathered in front of the Iveria Hotel (today’s Radisson) in Tbilisi, where many IDPs had been resettled. They held banners reading “President, enough lies!” and “We demand the right to life!” The protesters demanded better living conditions, including the payment of overdue monthly allowances, pensions, and salaries.

According to Iberia Spectrum, several hundred people joined the demonstration, but this did not mean others disagreed with the demands. Many IDPs could not attend because they survived by petty street trading, which they could not abandon even for a few hours. Protesters spoke of unbearable living conditions, saying people were starving and suicides were on the rise. One speaker recalled that just two days earlier, a displaced woman had hanged herself because she could not afford pain medication.

Protesters also criticized the government’s failure to resolve the Abkhazia and South Ossetia conflicts. “When meeting with IDPs, Parliament Speaker Zurab Zhvania said there was not a single bright spot in solving the Abkhazian issue. Now it is clear the highest ranks of Georgia’s government have shamelessly lied to us for years, claiming Abkhazia and Samachablo would return. Today it is obvious Shevardnadze’s government is not capable of doing so,” one participant said.

The demonstration ended the same day, with organizers emphasizing that its goal was to highlight the social problems faced by IDPs.