Orthodox extremists attack an Evangelical congregation
By Emil Adelkhanov
HRWF International Secretariat (29.12.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - At about 1 p.m. on Sunday 23 December, 2001, some 50 or 60 followers of the ultra-Orthodox Father Basil Mkalavishvili and he himself, in person, came in a bus to Iveria Cinema, rushed into the cinema hall where a service of the Fully Evangelical Church "The Word of Life" was going on, and started to beat the Evangelists. After 20 minutes another bus brought other 40 or 50 kindred spirits, and the scuffle went on.
According to Pastor Mamuka Jebisashvili, two of his parishioners, Kakha Chkhaidze and Badri Machitashvili, were beaten most cruelly. Several other men (Ramaz Jeladze, George Machitadze, Jemal Sakuashvili, Vazha Jabanishvili and others) and women (Endi Mamatelashvili and others) were also beaten. The assailants snatched out women's bags, got into pockets, took away money and documents. They also took away a Yamaha synthesiser and microphones, as well as some money that belonged to the church. They broke the pastor's pulpit, an audio system (a tape-recorder, a sound mixer, an amplifier and dynamics), a projection apparatus, etc. They tore several copies of the Bible and New Testament and other religious literature.
They also broke the camera of a TV man from the TV company "Ajaria" who was filming the incident. Some of the assailants tried to rush into the next room, where children were gathered for a Christmas service, but a woman who assisted the service was quick enough to lock the iron door. The police were called up. They helped the Evangelists to take the children out and prevented the assailants to took away the Evangelists' coats from the entrance hall, but they did not enter the hall where the mess was going on.
Journalists from two Georgian TV channels, Ajaria and Rustavi-2, filmed the incident, and it was shown on both channels the same day.
According to one of the victims (a woman named Endi Mamatelashvili, who was beaten by several men), when she applied to the City Hospital No 1, the doctor said he saw every sign of concussion, but the deputy head physician said it was just nervous and, in fact, forbade him to write down the diagnosis.
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Major confessions gave advance consent to Patriarchate-State concordat
Keston News Service (11.10.2001)/ HRWF International Secretariat (12.10.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - Although some of their representatives have expressed concern about the prospect of a constitutional agreement, or concordat, between the Georgian Orthodox Church and the Georgian state, Keston News Service has learned that Catholics, Lutherans, Baptists, Jews, Muslims and the Armenian Apostolic Church signed formal documents with the Orthodox Patriarchate agreeing to just such a concordat, even before the introduction of associated constitutional amendments on 30 March. The main government official in Georgia in charge of religious issues told Keston on 21 September that he was surprised these six major confessions had given advance agreement to the concordat.
Despite this agreement between the historical religions, the Catholic Church is still in conflict about the restitution of churches handed over by the Soviet authorities to the Orthodox Church in 1989-1990 in Kutaisi and elsewhere. Moreover, the Catholic Church faces difficulties when it attempts to build churches - such as the obstruction by the authorities in the towns of Kutaisi and Akhaltsikhe by the secretary to the head of the Apostolic Administration of the Caucasus.
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Georgia Supreme Court exonerates
victim of mob attack
(12.10.2001)/ HRWF International Secretariat (15.10.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - October 12, 2001Yesterday, Mirian Arabidze, a victim of a mob attack on a congregation of Jehovahs Witnesses in the Gldani district of Tbilisi, was fully exonerated by Georgias highest court. The three-member body of the Chamber for Criminal cases of the Supreme Court needed only moments after hearing arguments and viewing video footage of the attack to render its decision. Two years ago, Mirian Arabidze along with more than 100 fellow believers were attacked and beaten with clubs and iron crosses by a mob of some 200 religious extremists led by defrocked Orthodox priest Vasili Mkalavishvili. Within weeks, Arabidze was falsely charged and convicted on the charge of hooliganism.
The ruling annulled the conviction handed down by the judge of the court of first instance, as well as the decision of the appeal court to send the matter back for further investigation. Although all evidence, including videotape footage, clearly showed that Mr. Arabidze was a victim of the October 17, 1999 Gldani mob attack, the investigator nevertheless charged him while refusing to charge those responsible for the attack. Various governments, Human Rights Organizations, and the News Media have stated that the case gave the distinct impression that the Police and Prosecutors Office are cooperating with the religious extremists who carried out the attack. The issue of prosecuting the authors of the 1999 Gldani attack is presently before the European Court of Human Rights.
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Challenge Shevardnadze on religious violence
Human Rights Watch (02.10.2001)/ HRWF International Secretariat (03.10.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - President Bush should raise Georgias deteriorating human rights situation with President Eduard Shevardnadze, Human Rights Watch said today. President Shevardnadze begins a five-day visit to the United States today.
In a letter sent yesterday, Human Rights Watch drew President Bushs attention to the escalating group violence against Christian worshippers of non-Orthodox faiths in Georgia. The attacks are growing in frequency and ferocity due to police complicity and the governments failure to prosecute those responsible. Human Rights Watch also urged President Bush to question President Shevardnadzes record on combating torture. In 1999, President Shevardnadzes appointees supported the derailment of reforms to the criminal procedure code that aimed to curb the widespread practice of torture by Georgian police. Minor improvements to that law enacted this year fall short of a commitment to end torture.
"President Bush should make it clear that the new global fight against terrorism will not close the U.S. governments eyes to mob beatings of peaceful religious worshippers," said Elizabeth Andersen, executive director of Human Rights Watchs Europe and Central Asia division. "If Georgia wants to be considered a serious long Cterm partner it has to enforce the rule of law."
Human Rights Watch has received reports of three mob assaults on non-Orthodox Christian groups in the last week alone. On September 28, Georgian police reportedly stood aside to allow a mob of 100, armed with clubs and stones, to erect a roadblock on a highway leading out of the capital, Tbilisi. The mob stopped buses and cars transporting some 100 Jehovahs Witnesses to a religious convention, dragged them out, kicked and beat them. They injured up to forty people, nearly a dozen of them seriously. The mob then attacked the convention site in the town of Marneuli, ransacking and burning property, injuring more people, and firing shots into the air. Police not only failed to intervene to stop the assaults, but allegedly confiscated film and a video camera from Jehovahs Witnesses, and verbally derided them. On September 23, a mob attacked an evangelical church service in Tbilisi, reportedly injuring sixteen worshippers. On September 30, a group of approximately fourteen men reportedly attacked a Jehovahs Witness prayer meeting in the town of Rustavi.
The Georgian authorities know the perpetrators of many of the mob attacks, which have been growing in intensity for two years. Vasili Mkalavishvili and other leaders make frequent media appearances, openly broadcast their planned attacks, and claim that they receive support from the police and security services. None of the leaders has been arrested for their role in any of the attacks.
On August 29 Human Rights Watch published a 14-page memorandum documenting the growing official intolerance of non-Orthodox Christian groups in Georgia, and the escalation of mob violence against them. The memorandum called on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom to visit Georgia and investigate.
President Shevardnadzes visit to the United States comes a week after the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a highly critical resolution detailing Georgias failure to honor human rights obligations it assumed upon joining the organization in 1999, and urging major reforms to bring the country into line.
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Patriarchate monopoly on state religious education
Keston Institute (02.10.2001)/ HRWF International Secretariat (03.10.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - Georgia's main government official in charge of religious issues denies that the Orthodox Patriarchate has a monopoly on state religious education, but no-one else Keston News Service spoke to on this subject in the Georgian capital Tbilisi, agreed with this view.
The Patriarchate is already among the bodies with which the Ministry of Education develops syllabuses for state schools, and the as yet unsigned spring 2001 draft constitutional agreement between the state and the Orthodox Church goes further in giving the Patriarchate sole initiative for such programmes.
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Resolution 1257 on the honoring of obligations and commitments by Georgia (25-09-2001)
The Assembly welcomes the efforts Georgia has made since its accession on 27 April 1999 towards honouring some of its obligations and commitments, which it accepted in Assembly Opinion No. 209 (1999).
With regard to the signature and ratification of conventions, the Assembly is pleased to note that:
Georgia ratified, within the deadlines in Opinion No. 209, the European Convention on Human Rights as well as its Protocols Nos. 4, 6 and 7;
to date, Georgia is the only member state which has, on 15 June 2001, ratified Protocol No. 12 to the European Convention on Human Rights;
Georgia also ratified the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and its Protocols Nos. 1 and 2, the European Convention on extradition and its Protocols, the European Convention on mutual assistance in criminal matters, the
General Agreement on Privileges and Immunities and its Protocols, and signed the revised European Social Charter;
it also ratified the Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol thereto.
On the other hand, the Assembly regrets that Georgia:
did not ratify within one year after its accession the Additional Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights it signed on June 1999, nor the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities it signed in January 2000;
did not sign nor ratify the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, the European Charter of Local Self-Government, the European Outline Convention on Transfrontier Co-operation and its additional Protocols, nor the European Convention on laundering, search, seizure and confiscation of the proceeds from crime.
With regard to domestic legislation, the Assembly recognises that Georgia has adopted laws in many fields, including an Electoral Code, a Law on the Bar, a new Law on Imprisonment, a General Administrative Code, a law amending the Law on the Ombudsman, a law amending the Law on local self-government, but is preoccupied by the lack of enforcement and recalls the need for a proper implementation of existing legislation.
The Assembly also supports initiatives taken to combat and eradicate endemic and wide-spread corruption in the country and in this context welcomes the implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Programme.
With regard to the implementation of reforms, the Assembly acknowledges that measures have been taken to improve the functioning of the judiciary, especially in respect of the fight against corruption and incompetence in the judiciary, the monitoring of the execution of judgments, as well as the reform of the Prosecutors Office. It also notes positive steps undertaken to reform the penitentiary system, i.e. the transfer of the prison administration from the Ministry of the Interior to the Ministry of Justice, the building of a new prison, and measures to fight corruption.
In order to solve the persisting problems in the administration of justice, the Assembly calls on Georgia to accelerate these and other reforms underway and to implement them according to Council of Europe standards, in particular as regards the functioning of the judiciary and the conditions of detention in prisons and pre-trial detention centres.
With regard to domestic legislation and implementation of reforms, the Assembly urges Georgia to strengthen co-operation with the Council of Europe in order to ensure full compatibility of Georgian legislation with the Organisations principles and standards, and in particular:
to co-operate with the Council of Europe legal experts on a number of bills which have been prepared recently, including a new draft law on the police, a draft law amending the law on the Prosecutors Office, a draft law on development of alternative punishment and to prepare these items of legislation and ensure that they are enacted by the Georgian Parliament by January 2003 at the latest;
to implement the recommendations made by Council of Europe experts on criminal procedures, the role of the Prosecutors Office, police arrest, pre-trial investigation and pre-trial detention;
in close co-operation with the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, to implement the recommendations made following its visit in May 2001;
to submit for expertise the newly adopted Election Code to the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission) in order to assess that the current electoral legislation takes full account of recommendations made in 1999 by the Parliamentary Assembly ad hoc Committee on the observation of elections and by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR);
to co-operate with the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe (CLRAE) in a constructive manner, and in particular:
to implement recommendations the Congress made in 1999 to enhance local and regional self-government in Georgia, including adoption of amendments to existing legislation, new legislation and administrative measures, in accordance with the European Charter on Local Self-Government;
to transmit for expertise the text of the law amending the Law on Local Self-Government;
to accept assistance in the preparation and observation of the forthcoming local elections;
to organise without delay a colloquy on regionalisation which could help to clarify Georgian regional structure and territorial organisation.
to step up co-operation within the "Group of States against corruption" (GRECO) with a view to applying its recommendations on the fight against corruption;
to accelerate the work undertaken with the Council of Europe and the UNHCR on the question of the repatriation of the deported Meskhetian population, including on-going legal expertise of the draft Law "on repatriation of persons deported from Georgia in the 1940s by the Soviet regime", with a view to granting them the same status of rehabilitation as that already given to deportees of other ethnicities that were repatriated to Georgia under the Soviet regime.
As regards the freedom of the press and mass media, the Assembly calls on Georgia to draft and adopt a law on the electronic media, in order to regulate media activity and to guarantee independence, pluralism and objectivity of Georgian electronic media, and to consult Council of Europes experts on any new draft legislation.
In respect of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the Assembly regrets that the new Code which was initially drafted in close consultation with Council of Europe experts, was expurgated by numerous amendments adopted by the Parliament in the weeks following the accession of the country to the Organisation in May and June 1999, and that a new package of amendments was adopted in June 2001 without previous consultation of Council of Europe experts. It strongly urges the Georgian authorities to improve substantially co-operation with the Council of Europe in this respect.
The Assembly regrets that little progress has been made as regards respect of human rights:
it expresses its deep concern on allegations of ill-treatment or torture of detainees in police custody and pre-trial detention, cases of arbitrary arrests and detentions, violation of rights under police arrest or in pre-trial detention C in particular the right to consult a lawyer and the right to communicate with the family C complaints on violation of procedural rights, cases of intimidation, violation of the right to privacy, phone taping, etc;
it is alarmed by the behaviour of police and other law enforcement bodies and condemns any disproportionate violence used by security forces against peaceful demonstrators;
it is also strongly concerned about repeated cases of violence by Orthodox extremists against believers of minority religious groups such as Jehovah Witnesses and Baptists.
The Assembly urges the Georgian authorities to conduct a proper investigation into all cases of human rights violation and abuse of power, to prosecute their perpetrators irrespectively of their functions, and to adopt radical measures to bring definitely the country into line with the principles and standards of the Council of Europe.
The Assembly invites the Georgian authorities to authorise publication of the report of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture an Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment on the visit it carried out in May 2001.
In respect of commitments related to the status of the autonomous territories and the settlement of territorial conflicts by peaceful means, the Assembly welcomes progress made in granting autonomous status to Adjaria in April 2000, but regrets that no substantial progress has been made on a political settlement of the South Ossetian and Abkhaz conflicts, in spite of the efforts of the Georgian government.
However, the Assembly recognises that the conditions were not met for the Georgian authorities to fulfil their commitments to enact a legal framework determining the status of the autonomous territories, and to elaborate a legal framework for the establishment of a second parliamentary chamber.
As regards the Abkhaz conflict, the Assembly:
calls on Georgian and Abkhaz leaders to continue their talks on the status of Abkhazia and on the return of all displaced persons who wish to do so, to Abkhazia;
recalls that Georgia must take legislative and administrative measures providing for restitution of property or compensation for property lost by persons forced to abandon their homes in the 1990-1994 conflicts.
In the light of the considerations above, the Assembly concludes that, although some progress has been made since accession, Georgia is far from honouring its obligations and commitments as a member state of the Council of Europe. The Assembly resolves to pursue the monitoring procedure in respect of Georgia in close co-operation with the Georgian delegation.
Assembly debate on 25 September 2001 (26th Sitting) (see Doc. 9191, report of the Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe, rapporteurs: Mr Diana and Mr E?rsi).
Text adopted by the Assembly on 25 September 2001 (26th Sitting).
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World watches as religious extremists continue
reign of terror in Georgia
Georgia Office (30.09.2001)/ HRWF International Secretariat (01.10.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - At around 1:00 p.m. today, around 14 men, members of the ultra-orthodox extremist organization, Jvari, attacked a meeting of Jehovahs Witnesses in the city of Rustavi, assaulting those in attendance, and stealing literature. According to eyewitnesses, Jvari leader Paata Bluashvili personally assaulted one of the victims and boasted: Now go and file a complaint, Im not scared.
The statement typifies the ongoing seeming inaction of the police and prosecutors office, which further emboldens the extremists. According to statements of victims, members of Jvari also participated in Fridays criminal attacks by religious extremists, in which they were allowed to close a main road, assault Jehovahs Witnesses travelling to a convention, destroying their vehicles. That same morning, using sawed off shotguns and other firearms, they ransacked the convention site of Jehovahs Witnesses in the neighboring city of Marneuli, injuring dozens of delegates in the process.
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Georgia Office (28.09.2001)/ HRWF International Secretariat (01.10.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - Early this morning religious extremists mounted a citywide orchestrated attack on Jehovahs Witnesses travelling to their annual religious convention in the adjacent city of Marneuli. The 100 strong mob of attackers, many of them in masks, closed a main thoroughfare, stopped the buses carrying delegates, dragged them out by the hair, threw to the ground, and assaulted them, kicking, punching them and beating them with clubs. Women, children and the elderly were not spared. At least one bus and numerous cars carrying delegates were also seriously damaged in the process.
The attackers then made off to the convention site in Marneuli where they trashed the convention site and the private residence there, and torched the benches and religious literature in a bonfire. The attack was led by renegade Orthodox Priest Vasili Mkalavishvili and his main henchman Petre (a.k.a. Gia) Ivanidze. Despite organizing and participating in dozens of attacks against religious minorities over a period of two years, neither has ever been arrested.
In contrast to attacks by religious extremists in other parts of the world, the attack here appears to have been carried out with the knowledge and tacit approval of the Police. Jehovahs Witnesses had informed the authorities well in advance of their intention to hold a convention and had received guarantees from the Police that proper measures would be taken to protect their right of assembly. Todays attack belies that statement. Victims who managed to get to police stations were derided by police officers and told that this matter was not a Police affair. Police in Marneuli observed as the convention site was being trashed, but made no attempt to intervene.
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Rebel orthodox priest attacks Pentecostal choir practice
Keston Institute (26.09.2001)/ HRWF International Secretariat (01.10.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - On Sunday evening (23 September), defrocked Orthodox priest Basil Mkalavishvili and his supporters, wielding truncheons, attacked a choir practice of a Pentecostal church in the Gldani district of the Georgian capital Tbilisi, the church's pastor Zaal Tkeshelashvili told Keston News Service by telephone on 26 September.
He said he personally saw Mkalavishvili instructing his followers what to do and whom to beat.
'Twelve church members sustained serious injuries.'
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Jehovah's Witnesses challenge "dubious" Supreme Court of Georgia ruling
in European Court
www.jw-georgia.org (16.08.2001)/ HRWF International Secretariat (24.08.2001) (12.08.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - Jehovah's Witnesses in Georgia filed their second application in two months with the European Court of Human Rights. The latest application challenges a February 22, 2001 Supreme Court of Georgia ruling later referred to by Georgian Minister of Justice Mikheil Saakashvili as "dubious." The ruling in question, while not banning Jehovah's Witnesses, annulled the registration of two of their organizations. In its ruling the Court insisted that Jehovah's Witnesses could not be registered since no "law on religion" had as yet been passed in Georgia.
The application argues that the European Convention on Human Rights, European Court precedent and Georgia's international law commitments all support the right of association, which includes the right of religious communities to use legal entities. It maintains that the Supreme Court ruling attempts to remove that right in violation of the European Convention and Georgia's own Constitution, and has resulted in a de facto ban on Jehovah's Witnesses in Georgia, as the Court walks a fine line between honoring Georgia's Constitutional and international commitments and playing to populist extremist politicians with a dark agenda.
Since the ruling there have been countless violent attacks on Jehovah's Witnesses, the latest occurring within the last week, as Orthodox extremists perceive it as a signal from the government that it is "open season" on Jehovah's Witnesses. Police and prosecutors' offices routinely dismiss their complaints despite overwhelming evidence.
Police refuse to interfere as Orthodox extremists carry out fourth attack
on Jehovahs Witnesses in Rustavi
www.jw-georgia.org (12.08.2001)/ HRWF International Secretariat (12.08.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - Around noon today, a mob of Orthodox extremists broke down the door of the apartment of Jimsher Gogelashvili, where a religious meeting of Jehovahs Witnesses was being conducted.
The mob of 15 men, led by Paata Bluashvili and Mamuka Chupabria, seized literature and personal belongings of the around 70 Jehovahs Witnesses gathered there, most of them women and children. According to eyewitnesses, the mob then proceeded to beat those in attendance with clubs and metal pipes. Seven of the victims required medical treatment for blows to the head and the body. The mob trashed chairs, furniture and equipment, and burned the literature in a bonfire on the street outside.
Some of the victims made to a nearby Police stations, where the Police categorically refused to attend the incident. This is the fourth attack by Orthodox extremists in the city of Rustavi this year. To date, no one has been arrested or prosecuted although the identities of the perpetrators are well known to the Rustavi Police.
This latest case adds weight to the application filed on June 29, 2001 by Jehovahs Witnesses in the European Court of Human Rights over lack of action by the Police, Prosecutors Office, and Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.
The BBC and Jehovah's Witnesses
BBC (07.08.2001)/ HRWF International Secretariat (08.08.2001) Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net
FX : Prayer in a Georgian Church
Narrator: Downtown Tbilisi, in one of Georgia's ancient cathedrals the prayer flows uninterrupted. In few meters from the church another service is about to start in the neighbouring mosque. Further down the road a synagogue opens its doors. There was time when in the region full of ethnic and religious tensions, this small area of Tbilisi was seen as a symbol of Georgia's renowned tolerance. But while three temples still stand next to each one, what they once stood for seems to have vanished in the chaos of post-soviet transition.
FX: More prayer, church sounds
Nrrator: In January of 2001 Georgia's Supreme Court annulled registration of the country's two Jehovah's Witnesses' organizations. According to the representative of one of this organizations, Levan Kopalia, this decision was not much of a surprise.
KOPALIA: (English) For the past years we have experienced persecution. Our organization is trying to take all lawful measures, we try to appeal in courts, we try to contact human rights groups. We never go for fighting. All we try to do is to protect our right. Our right to exist and to fulfil our religious rituals.
Narrator: Although the Georgian Constitution speaks of religious freedom, the priority here is openly given to Georgian orthodoxy, which for the past twenty centuries has been the country's dominant religion. However, it was not until ten years ago, when after seventy years of quiet existence under communist suppression the church found itself in a new role of a hugely popular and partially responsible for establishment of a post-soviet order institution. Member of the Parliament Koba Davitashvili explains:
KOBA: (Georgian/voiceover) Belonging to the Church has become fashionable. It does not mean however that people are true believers. But today many politicians in Georgia parade with the fact that they belong to the orthodox church, they don 't hide the fact that they often first of all defend the interests of the church in their decision making processes.
Narrator : But while being orthodox in Georgia has become trendy, belonging to any other religious group can be simply dangerous. For the past few years members of all religious minorities have suffered from regular assaults and attacks. Radical groups have broken into Baptist churches, and members of Pentecostal Church have suffered from violent attacks. But the main victims of this violence are Georgia's 15,000 Jehovah's witnesses. In May a house of one of the Jehovah's Witnesses was burned down, and in the Western city of Martvili a mob led by two Georgian priests attacked a meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses. Several Jehovah's Witnesses including children and women were beaten with iron and wooden crosses. Zviad Dzadzamia was there.
ZVIAD: (Georgian/voiceover)You know especially during the past couple of years our life has become very difficult and there is a lot of aggression directed at us. Personally I have often been stopped and assaulted in the streets. On the 30th of April, we were having a bible study in the house of one of our followers when a mob broke in. They rushed in with sticks, with iron crosses. It was a mob led by Father Basil, many women and children were beaten and I received a head injury.
Narrator: The man responsible for insighting many of these attacks is an excommunicated Georgian priest Basil Mkalavishvili. He makes no secret of his enthusiasm and determination of fighting what he calls satanic sects.
BASIL: (Georgian/voiceover) It is terrible, terrible that today Georgia is being invaded by dark satanic forces of the outside. Many do not understand that Georgia's salvation is in Orthodoxy, and that those sects, and especially Jehovah's witnesses are trying to destroy our centuries long tradition. This is why, I and my followers have declared a battle to those sects and we are determined to carry on fighting them.
Narrator: For years Mkalavishvili's actions have gone unchecked and despite clear evidence of his violent activities he had managed to avoid criminal charges. Human rights groups believe that it is Mkalavishvili's association with Georgia's security forces that allows him to get away.
Narrator: Basil Mkalavishvili himself does not deny his association with the police.
BASIL: (Georgian/voiceover) Thank God that among our security services and policemen here are people who are willing to help me: they realize how dangerous it is to have these sects in Georgia.
Narrator: Higher up the staircase of the state bureaucracy the officials remain equally indifferent -- regular appeals by non-governmental organizations and religious groups have been left unanswered. Dozens of complains have been dusting away on the shelves of Georgia's prosecutor's office. Giga Bokeria of the Liberty Institute explains why he thinks the government is so slow to respond.
Narrator: According to Bokeria, the situation has become worse since Georgia's last year's admission to the Council of Europe freed the government from the pressure of meeting western standards. During last couple of months other radical groups have been created to fight religious minorities. Among them is an organization Jvari, some members of which are priests of the Georgian Orthodox Church. The official position of the Church, however, remains neutral. One of the recent statements issued by the Patriarchy declared that the Church works within acceptable bounds of peaceful treatment. Within these bounds Orthodox Church and its supporters in the parliament are lobbying hard for adoption of a Law on Religion and signing of the Constitutional Agreement which will define the relationship between the Church and the State. Giga Bokeria:
GIGA: (English) If there is a political will, Georgian current legislation provides plenty of room for order, and we don 't need any law on religion to stop the violence. Both drafts of the documents we 've seen will simply turn Orthodoxy into a state religion which will further deepen the discrimination. The only thing we need right now which can really help is international pressure on the government.
Narrator: But while concerned human rights groups and religious minorities look for international attention and radical groups swing their crosses in the battle against Antichrist, the majority of the Georgian population remains largely undisturbed. In a country where electricity cuts can last for 18 hours a day and 8-dollar pensions are not paid for months, social conscience is not very high up on the priority list.
Narrator: In her small house in one of Tbilisi's most remote districts Manana Jumbadze is hosting a meeting of her fellow Jehovah Witnesses. There was time, she remembers, when religious services like this one were held in public places. But times have changed and Jehovah Witnesses throughout Georgia try to keep alow profile.
Manana: (Georgian/voice over) Many of my friends have problems with families and friends because they belong to the Jehovah's Witnesses. Fortunately my family understands me, but still, the overall public attitude toward us is very negative. I believe media is also responsible for that - they portray us in a completely different way, as if we present some sort of a danger.
FX: More Chant.
Narrator: As the rays of the setting sun make their way through a small window the chorus of voices fills the tiny room. On this earth God is preparing us for paradise, say the words of the Jehovah hymn, as if in an ironic reminder that their chances of finding the paradise in Georgia are becoming increasingly slim.
FX: More chant.
Will presidential meeting end religious violence?
by Felix Corley
Keston News Service (11.07.2001)/ HRWF International Secretariat (12.07.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - Although promoting religious tolerance and ending the religious violence and attacks on minority religious communities were key themes of the 10 July meeting between seven religious leaders and President Eduard Shevardnadze, opinions are divided as to whether the meeting will help end the violence. `It won't end violence in itself,' Baptist Union leader Bishop Malkhaz Songulashvili told Keston News Service on 11 July. `But if there is follow-up and the statements from the seven religious leaders are taken seriously it will contribute to an end to the violence. It is not the end of the violence but the beginning of the end of the violence.'
'The problem of violence won't be solved by one meeting,' Constantin Vardzelashvili of the Liberty Institute, a human rights group in Tbilisi which runs a special project to monitor violence against religious minorities, told Keston on 11 July. 'While there is no sign from the law enforcement agencies of any action being taken, I am rather pessimistic. We'll have to see what developments there are.'
Metropolitan Daniel (Datuashvili), who represented the Georgian Orthodox Patriarchate at the meeting, believed the proposed new law on religion would end the violence, although he was more equivocal about who was responsible for the violence against religious minorities. He stressed that the violence did not come from the Patriarchate, but complained not only of those who cause `physical harm' but those who cause `moral harm' also. `The reaction of the extremists to these totalitarian religious sects is not justified, but it is in reaction to their very aggressive activities,' he told Keston on 11 July. He believed the meeting will hope to promote stability in the religious field by promoting a `proper legal base' for religious activity that will `stop all violations, from one side or the other'. `The leaders of the different religious groups issued a general declaration committing themselves to fighting together against violence and for peaceful coexistence.'
Most of the victims of violence at the hands of extremists have been Jehovah's Witnesses, although Pentecostals and Baptists have also been targeted.
Among recent incidents was a 17 June attack on a Jehovah's Witness meeting in Tbilisi - the 77th reported attack on Jehovah's Witnesses since October 1999. Some 50 male and female intruders - identified by the Jehovah's Witnesses as followers of the defrocked Orthodox priest Basil Mkalavishvili - broke into the meeting and savagely beat those present and vandalised the home where the meeting was taking place, breaking furniture and windows and setting fire to religious objects before fleeing. Two of the victims were seriously injured in the attack, police said, adding that an investigation had been launched.
The Jehovah's Witness spokesman in Georgia, Christian Presber, asked by Keston on 11 July if he thought the meeting with the president would help end the violence, was not optimistic: 'There have been such condemnations before', he said, 'but the violence has not stopped. Mkalavishvili and other extremists will only stop when one of the perpetrators of the violence has been prosecuted. Nothing else will stop them.'
Also attacked and broken up by thugs was a 13 June evangelistic meeting, organised by the Pentecostal Word of Life Church in the western city of Zugdidi, which was being addressed by a visiting Swedish pastor.
Pastor Gary Azikov, the Lutheran secretary, told Keston from Tbilisi on 10 July that the situation has recently been `a little quieter', with fewer attacks on religious minorities. However, Bishop Songulashvili characterised the situation as `the quiet before the storm'.
The Council of Europe, which Georgia joined in April 1999, has long been pressuring the Georgian authorities to stamp out such violence and prosecute the perpetrators. The head of the Council of Europe has told the Georgian government the Jehovah's Witnesses must be better protected. `Jehovah's Witnesses deserve the same protection of their personal physical integrity as everyone else in Georgia,' the council's Secretary-General Walter Schwimmer told reporters on 6 July at the end of a two-day visit to the country.
On 29 June, the Jehovah's Witnesses filed a case at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, citing the government's failure to punish the perpetrators of the attacks. The application asks the Court to rule that the government of Georgia must prosecute perpetrators of the 17 October 1999 attack on the Jehovah's Witness congregation in the Tbilisi suburb of Gldani by Mkalavishvili and his followers which started off the series of attacks.
Religious leaders meet Shevardnadze
by Felix Corley
Keston News Service (11.07. 2001)/ HRWF International Secretariat (12.07.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - In what one participant described as `a unique meeting', Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze spent two hours yesterday evening (10 July) with religious leaders discussing religious freedom and how to overcome the religious violence that has racked the country for more than a year. `The meeting took place at the president's invitation,' the Baptist Union leader Bishop Malkhaz Songulashvili told Keston News Service from Tbilisi on 11 July, `and was the first time the leaders of the country's seven main faiths met together with the president.' Metropolitan Daniel (Datuashvili), who represented the Georgian Orthodox Patriarchate at the meeting, also said it had been positive. `There is a real basis for dialogue between the religions that exist in Georgia,' he told Keston on 11 July.
Attending the meeting were Metropolitan Daniel, Archbishop of Sukhumi and head of the Patriarchate's mission and evangelisation department, Bishop Giuseppe Pasotto of the Roman Catholic Church, Bishop Gert Hummel of the Lutheran Church, Baptist Bishop Songulashvili, Archbishop Kevork Seraydarian of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Muslim leader Ali Ahund and deputy chief rabbi of the Jewish community, Alexander Rosenblat.
The religious leaders presented three petitions to the president. The first, signed by all seven faiths, called for a law on freedom of conscience (Georgia is the only post-Soviet republic without a specific law on religion). `Such a law is badly needed to safeguard the religious rights of citizens,' declared Bishop Songulashvili, who presented the petitions on behalf of the religious leaders. `All seven faiths represented at the meeting will now work together in helping to draw up the text,' Metropolitan Daniel told Keston.
The second - described as a `peace paper' and also signed by all seven faiths - called for religious peace and tolerance both within Georgia and in the Caucasus region.
The third - signed only by the Orthodox, the Catholics, the Lutherans and the Baptists - called on the president to facilitate a law governing procedures for how religious communities, and other non-religious bodies, can engage in humanitarian aid work, as no such law yet exists. `The churches told the president they had the feeling that their humanitarian work was tolerated but not welcome,' Bishop Songulashvili reported. `We asked the president to promote the law-making process to clarify the rights and responsibilities of religious organisations in conducting such humanitarian work.' Metropolitan Daniel believes the meeting will help facilitate church input into the planned legislation. `The wishes of religious groups will now be taken into account in considering the draft of this law.' (The Armenians, the Muslims and the Jews did not sign as they do not engage in humanitarian aid work.)
Shevardnadze indicated that he was aware of international concern over the religious violence in Georgia. `It is not the extremists who will be held responsible for the religious violence,' he told the religious leaders, `but the Georgian nation.' He told them he believes religious believers of different faiths can work harmoniously together for the benefit of the country. `I think common sense will prevail,' he declared. He called on the leaders to participate in the life of the country to help overcome expressions of violence. He argued that the root of the religious violence was people's poverty, allowing them to be easily manipulated by extremists, whether religious or political.
Shevardnadze promised to hold further meetings with the religious leaders. `I know you have far more concerns than those presented here,' he told them, `but I hope in future we will be able to discuss these issues.'
Not invited to the meeting were leaders of the Pentecostal Church or the Jehovah's Witnesses (who claim some 12,000 members in Georgia), or any leaders of the country's less numerous faiths. `I know nothing about the meeting,' Bishop Oleg Khubashvili, the head of the Pentecostal Union, told Keston from Tbilisi on 11 July. `No-one has informed me about it.'
`Only the leaders of religious confessions that have a special influence or played a role in the history of Georgia were invited,' Metropolitan Daniel told Keston.
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Will presidential meeting end religious violence?
by Felix Corley
Keston News Service (11.07.2001)/ HRWF International Secretariat (12.07.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - Although promoting religious tolerance and ending the religious violence and attacks on minority religious communities were key themes of the 10 July meeting between seven religious leaders and President Eduard Shevardnadze, opinions are divided as to whether the meeting will help end the violence. `It won't end violence in itself,' Baptist Union leader Bishop Malkhaz Songulashvili told Keston News Service on 11 July. `But if there is follow-up and the statements from the seven religious leaders are taken seriously it will contribute to an end to the violence. It is not the end of the violence but the beginning of the end of the violence.'
'The problem of violence won't be solved by one meeting,' Constantin Vardzelashvili of the Liberty Institute, a human rights group in Tbilisi which runs a special project to monitor violence against religious minorities, told Keston on 11 July. 'While there is no sign from the law enforcement agencies of any action being taken, I am rather pessimistic. We'll have to see what developments there are.'
Metropolitan Daniel (Datuashvili), who represented the Georgian Orthodox Patriarchate at the meeting, believed the proposed new law on religion would end the violence, although he was more equivocal about who was responsible for the violence against religious minorities. He stressed that the violence did not come from the Patriarchate, but complained not only of those who cause `physical harm' but those who cause `moral harm' also. `The reaction of the extremists to these totalitarian religious sects is not justified, but it is in reaction to their very aggressive activities,' he told Keston on 11 July. He believed the meeting will hope to promote stability in the religious field by promoting a `proper legal base' for religious activity that will `stop all violations, from one side or the other'. `The leaders of the different religious groups issued a general declaration committing themselves to fighting together against violence and for peaceful coexistence.'
Most of the victims of violence at the hands of extremists have been Jehovah's Witnesses, although Pentecostals and Baptists have also been targeted.
Among recent incidents was a 17 June attack on a Jehovah's Witness meeting in Tbilisi - the 77th reported attack on Jehovah's Witnesses since October 1999. Some 50 male and female intruders - identified by the Jehovah's Witnesses as followers of the defrocked Orthodox priest Basil Mkalavishvili - broke into the meeting and savagely beat those present and vandalised the home where the meeting was taking place, breaking furniture and windows and setting fire to religious objects before fleeing. Two of the victims were seriously injured in the attack, police said, adding that an investigation had been launched.
The Jehovah's Witness spokesman in Georgia, Christian Presber, asked by Keston on 11 July if he thought the meeting with the president would help end the violence, was not optimistic: 'There have been such condemnations before', he said, 'but the violence has not stopped. Mkalavishvili and other extremists will only stop when one of the perpetrators of the violence has been prosecuted. Nothing else will stop them.'
Also attacked and broken up by thugs was a 13 June evangelistic meeting, organised by the Pentecostal Word of Life Church in the western city of Zugdidi, which was being addressed by a visiting Swedish pastor.
Pastor Gary Azikov, the Lutheran secretary, told Keston from Tbilisi on 10 July that the situation has recently been `a little quieter', with fewer attacks on religious minorities. However, Bishop Songulashvili characterised the situation as `the quiet before the storm'.
The Council of Europe, which Georgia joined in April 1999, has long been pressuring the Georgian authorities to stamp out such violence and prosecute the perpetrators. The head of the Council of Europe has told the Georgian government the Jehovah's Witnesses must be better protected. `Jehovah's Witnesses deserve the same protection of their personal physical integrity as everyone else in Georgia,' the council's Secretary-General Walter Schwimmer told reporters on 6 July at the end of a two-day visit to the country.
On 29 June, the Jehovah's Witnesses filed a case at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, citing the government's failure to punish the perpetrators of the attacks. The application asks the Court to rule that the government of Georgia must prosecute perpetrators of the 17 October 1999 attack on the Jehovah's Witness congregation in the Tbilisi suburb of Gldani by Mkalavishvili and his followers which started off the series of attacks.
Council of Europe backs Georgia Jehovahs Witnesses
Reuters (06.07.2001)/ HRWF International Secretariat (09.07.2001) C Website : http : //www.hrwf.net- Email : info@hrwf.net - The head of the Council of Europe on Friday said Jehovah's Witnesses in Georgia who complain of persecution at the hands of Orthodox extremists must be better protected.
Georgian police have been accused of turning a blind eye to attacks on Jehovah's Witnesses in the overwhelmingly Orthodox former Soviet republic. "Jehovah's Witnesses deserve the same protection of their personal physical integrity as everyone else in Georgia," the council's Secretary-General Walter Schwimmer told reporters at the end of a two-day visit to Georgia.
"It must be made very clear to the police that they are obliged to protect them when they are under attack." Jehovah's Witnesses say they have been attacked on more than 77 occasions in the last 18 months, sometimes by men armed with nail-studded clubs.
On Thursday, a London-based spokesman for the faith said Georgian prosecutors had failed to act on more than 300 complaints filed by Jehovah's Witnesses, and followers had taken their case to the European Court of Human Rights.
The Strasbourg-based court falls under the auspices of the Council of Europe, a 43-member pan-European rights watchdog.
Schwimmer said the council had offered its assistance in the drafting of an agreement between Georgia's powerful Orthodox church and the state. He warned that the creation of any "state church" would violate the rights of Georgians to freedom of religion.
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Jehovahs Witnesses file with European Court
JW Public Affairs Office/ HRWF International Secretariat (29.06.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - After almost two years of inaction and lack of prosecution on the part of the Georgias Prosecutors office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Jehovahs Witnesses filed an application with the European Court of Human Rights.
The application asks the Court to rule that the government of Georgia must prosecute perpetrators of the brutal October 17, 1999 attack on the Gldani congregation of Jehovahs Witnesses by defrocked Orthodox priest Vasili Mkalavishvili and his followers.
More than 70 similar attacks have been carried out against Jehovahs Witnesses since the Gldani mobbing, the most recent occurring on June 17, 2001.
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Government, church to sign controversial concordat
By Jean-Christophe Peuch
RFE/RL (16.05.2001)/ HRWF International Secretariat (19.06.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - Georgia, leaders of the Autocephalous (independent and self-governing) Orthodox Church are lobbying secular authorities for legislation that would grant it special status. The Church's Patriarchate is particularly anxious to sign a controversial document that would regulate relations between the state and the church. But Georgian liberal politicians, human rights activists and religious minority groups fear that the so-called "concordat" might pose a threat to religious freedom. RFE/RL correspondent Jean-Christophe Peuch reports form Tbilisi.
Ever since Georgia acceded to independence in 1991, its Orthodox Church has been lobbying parliament and the government for legislation that would grant it special status.
Chief among the proposed laws is a controversial document that, from the Orthodox clergy's point of view, would regulate relations between the Patriarchate and the government, giving the church a greater say in the country's overall spiritual affairs.
The document has been under consideration in Georgia for at least five years. It is known as a "concordat" -- even though that term usually designates an accord reached between the Vatican and a government to settle the Roman Catholic Church's status in individual nations.
Several blueprints of the concordat have been drafted, with a final version having recently been transmitted to parliament.
The concordat is expected to be signed later this year despite strong opposition from liberals, who fear it could jeopardize democratic reforms begun 10 years ago. Amendments to the constitution will be necessary before the document can become law.
Some analysts say the concordat is backed by politicians who are seeking to exploit nationalist leanings and back the views of the Church as a means of winning votes.
Controversy over the concordat has been fuelled by recent violent attacks carried out by Orthodox hard-liners against religious minority groups such as Baptists or the Jehovah's Witnesses. Among Orthodox extremists is a group of some 100 led by Vasili Mkalavishvili, a defrocked priest also known as Father Vasili.
Although the Orthodox Patriarchate has never endorsed the use of violence, it has only half-heartedly condemned the perpetrators of these attacks.
The latest incident took place on 12 May, when a mob of extremists reportedly affiliated to Vasili's group burned down the home of the Jehovah's Witnesses in Tbilisi's Samgori district. Father Vasili has denied any responsibility for the incident.
Human rights groups and religious minorities blame the government for tacitly encouraging the attacks through its inaction. They say on many occasions the police have failed to prevent the attacks and that none of the perpetrators has ever been brought to justice.
Levan Berdzenishvili is the general director of Georgia's national library and also runs a non-governmental organization known as the Civic Development International Center. Berdzenishvili says that the Orthodox Church's strong hostility toward other faiths is due in no small part to its inability to adapt to the new environment that emerged from the ruins of the Soviet Union and to compete -- both spiritually and financially -- with "non-traditional" religious groups.
He also notes that since 1991 there has been a gradual rapprochement between secular and ecclesiastical authorities.
"Former communist officials declared themselves Christians and started interfering zealously in the country's religious affairs. Nobody believes in their conversion, but it was a boost for the Orthodox Church, which saw new opportunities to move closer to the [secular] authorities. And now the Church is trying to use these same authorities to solve its problems."
Berdzenishvili was apparently referring to President Eduard Shevardnadze, a former Soviet Communist Party official who was baptized and christened "Giorgi" shortly after he took power in 1992. Shevardnadze is widely believed to have close ties with the Patriarchate.
The Orthodox Church hopes that the concordat will secure the return of properties that currently belong to the state that it says were taken away from the church under Soviet rule.
Religious minorities have also been unable to regain ownership rights to properties confiscated after the 1921 Bolshevik takeover. They complain that, in the absence of proper legislation, they are unable to acquire property.
But non-Orthodox religious groups and liberal intellectuals believe that, beyond the property issue, the concordat will offer the Patriarchate unprecedented privileges that they say could prove detrimental to other denominations.
Although the 1995 Georgian Constitution states that all religions are equal in rights, it nevertheless emphasizes the special role the Georgian Orthodox Church has played in the country's history.
The overwhelming majority of ethnic Georgians, who represent approximately 70 percent of the country's five-million-strong population, nominally associate themselves with the Georgian Orthodox Church.
Besides the Jehovah's Witnesses and Protestant denominations, Georgia's religious minorities include Muslims, Roman Catholics, followers of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Jews, Russian Orthodox, and a small number of dissident religious groups of Russian origin loosely connected with Orthodoxy.
All these faiths have been represented in Georgia for centuries, but the Patriarchate regards most of them as unwanted newcomers.
In an interview with our correspondent, historian Giorgi Mamulia said one of the basic ideas of the concordat is that Georgia's current Eastern-oriented Orthodoxy should be considered the country's "national religion." This, he argues, is "historical nonsense."
Mamulia notes that, for centuries after the 1054 Schism between Rome and Byzantium, the Georgian Orthodox Church always felt spiritually and dogmatically closer to Rome. Only in the 16th century did Georgia begin looking toward Russia as a potential ally against the Ottomans and the Safavid Persians.
Ten years after Russia conquered eastern Georgia in 1801, the Georgian Church lost its independence and came under the rule of the Russian Patriarchate. The autocephaly of the Georgian Orthodox Church was restored only in 1943 by Stalin.
Mamulia questions the notion that Georgia's clergy has always looked towards Byzantium and Moscow:
"Georgia has never been Orthodox in the Byzantine -- even less in the Russian -- understanding of the word. Up until the Schism between Rome and Byzantium, Orthodoxy had been understood in Georgia in the Western sense of the word. From 1054 through the 16th century, it is clear that Georgia was close to Western Christianity, especially to Rome. Only geopolitical factors forced us to move toward the Russian Orthodox Church. This was not the result of any political or church tradition. On the contrary, we stepped away from our traditions."
Mamulia thinks the concordat -- which he says is supported by nationalist parties and pro-Russian politicians alike -- is an attempt to create a "Russian Orthodox-type theocracy" that will eventually keep Georgia in Moscow's orbit.
Earlier this week (14 May), Shevardnadze said the document, which the government has pledged to submit to the Council of Europe, will not infringe on the rights of other religions.
But representatives of non-Orthodox religions see the concordat as a potential threat. Bishop Oleg Khubashuli, the leader of Georgia's Pentecostal Church, expressed his concerns to RFE/RL: "We believe that [the concordat] will undermine the rights of religious minority groups. It is not acceptable that a state should favor one religion over the others. All religions should be equal in rights. We do not question the fact that Georgia has long felt itself an Orthodox country. Nevertheless we think that [the concordat] is unacceptable because, under its terms, Orthodoxy will be taught in schools that are attended by our children."
Two years ago, human rights groups reported that, under the pressure of the Patriarchate, the Education Ministry had prevented the use of school textbooks on the history of religions because they did not give absolute precedence to Orthodox Christianity.
National Library director Berdzenishvili is sympathetic to minority groups' concerns about the concordat, but he says that its threat should not be overestimated: "I too think this is a threat. But only on paper. Because what the Orthodox Church really cares about is property, financial operations. I am sorry to say this, but this is the truth. It is a pity that the aspirations of the Orthodox Church have turned so materialistic, but [it] really doesn't need anything else."
But historian Mamulia argues that the proposed document could jeopardize Georgia's social stability: "Religion should serve as an assimilating, as a [consolidating] factor. But the way it is presented [in the concordat] will lead to a deep-rooted schism based on national and religious motivations. Given that Georgia is a multiethnic state and that 30 percent of its population is made of non-ethnic Georgians, I don't think this is the best way to [consolidate] our nation."
Four years ago, the Georgian Patriarchate withdrew from the World Council of Churches, an organization set up in 1938 to promote dialogue among Christian churches.
Mamulia thinks that, instead of moving toward further isolation, the Georgian Orthodox Church should look for ways to improve ties with Western religious denominations. He says that this would help Georgia's leadership "modernize" the country and keep it away from Russia's influence.
Police refuse to quell violent attack
JW Office of Public Information (18.06.2001)/ HRWF International Secretariat (19.06.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net "If we had known that this was an attack on you people we would not have bothered to come." That was the response from two police officers who arrived at the scene of the latest violent attack against Jehovahs Witnesses, according to eyewitnesses, Ilo Robakidze and Giorgi Kiknavelidze.
At 11.45 on Sunday, June 17, eighty-six members of the Ortachala congregation of Jehovahs Witnesses in Tbilisi experienced a brutal attack by a mob estimated at around 50 or 60 men and women. Victims identified Petre (Gia) Ivanidze, Nodar Aslanashvili, Vakhtang Dadunadze, Mamuka Kartozia and Zura Lomtatidze known followers of defrocked priest Vasili Mkalavishvili who have participated in several such attacks in the past.
The mob gained entry to the private home where the religious meeting was held by smashing down the front door and breaking windows. Several items of furniture, personal belongings, and hundreds of pieces of Bible literature were seized and burned outside. Women were ordered to remove their shoes. The attackers then stole the shoes, along with money and other valuables. Children ran screaming for cover as they watched their fathers being beaten with wooden clubs. One woman had her dress ripped by an attacker who then threatened to strip her and parade her naked in the street. Giorgi Kiknavelidze, along with a number of others, required medical treatment for bleeding and bruising after being severely beaten. Nana Robakidze, a mother of three, was badly shaken as she tried to protect her three-year-old daughter, Tamuna, who suffers from a heart defect.
This is the 77th recorded criminal attack since the campaign of violence against Jehovahs Witnesses started in October 1999. Since then 314 criminal complaints have been filed, but no charges have been laid against any individual for the ongoing reign of terror. The General Prosecutor and the Ministry of Internal Affairs have failed to act against those committing these crimes. Todays reaction by the police adds weight to the argument that the wave of persecution only continues because of the inaction of government law enforcement agencies.
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Attacks led by Orthodox priests continue
www.jw-georgia.org (11.06.2001)/ HRWF International Secretariat (13.06.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net Email: info@hrwf.net A mob of 30 led by two Orthodox priests, Gocha Tsaava and Giorgi Basilaia, attacked a meeting of Jehovahs Witnesses in the western Georgian City of Martvili, on Friday, 8 June 2001. The mob assaulted two women, beating one with a stick and striking the other in the face while the priests looked on. These same priests attempted to force another woman to kiss a cross. Police attended the scene, but refused to intervene. This is the sixth attack on Jehovahs Witnesses led by official Orthodox priests this year, and comes the same day as Dilis gazeti printed a statement by the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Georgia, "that the Georgian Church works within those bounds that are acceptable to the Orthodox Church, which is peaceful treatment."
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Relentless terror campaign by Orthodox extremists
Watch Tower Georgia (21.05.2001)/ HRWF International Secretariat (22.05.2001)- Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - In what is becoming a weekly ritual of violence, at around 5 p.m. on Sunday a cowardly mob of 30 Orthodox extremists, known followers of priest Vasili Mkalavishvili forced their way into an apartment in the Mukhiani region of Tbilisi where a meeting of about 60 Jehovahs Witnesses was being held. The attackers viciously assaulted men and women, one of whom is pregnant, wielding clubs and ransacking the apartment in the process. Victims suffered multiple bruising including facial and head injuries.
Police were called immediately and arrived shortly thereafter armed with automatic weapons. They pursued the attackers, even firing their weapons in the air, before eventually capturing three of them. However, eyewitnesses reported that the attackers were released after the police identified them and took statements.
Government ministries and the police have consistently demonstrated either an unwillingness, or inability, to punish Orthodox extremists. Inertia on the part of the authorities emboldens the perpetrators who have violently attacked individuals and congregations of Jehovahs Witnesses with impunity since October 1999.
There is now an established pattern to the violence. On Sunday, 13 May, as reported in the Caucasus Press newspaper Dilis, in the Samgori region of Tbilisi, religious extremists burned down a home belonging to a Kurdish family of Jehovahs Witnesses. The eleven occupants narrowly escaped death.
Last week Kavkasia television broadcasted this chilling statement by Orthodox priest Vasili Mkalavishvili: "I am gravely warning all of Georgia and the population, especially the representatives of the sect of the Jehovists, not to gather together and not to hold their satanic meetings. "I am gravely warning all of Georgia and the population, especially the representatives of the sect of the Jehovists, not to gather together and not to hold their satanic meetings. Although I am forbidden to go to them, my parishioners will come and after today their terrible pogroms will begin."
In March 2001 the Georgian Supreme Court issued a press statement regarding the 13,000 Jehovahs Witnesses in Georgia in which it confirmed "their right to have peaceful meetings" and "their right of association with others."
Private home is burned with family still inside
Watch Tower Georgia (16.05.2001) HRWF International Secretariat (17.05.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - Early Sunday morning, May 13, at about 2:30, Vladimir Shamoyans family was rudely awakened by the smell of smoke and the commotion outside. Someone had doused their home with fuel and then set it ablaze. Ten managed to get out but then realized that 21-year-old stepson Dato Mstoian was missing.
"We hardly came out through the smoke with our small children, when we realized that my son Dato was not with us" said the mother, Gulnara Shamoyan, still in shock. "Minutes later the house was engulfed in flames." Meanwhile Dato was awakened and tried to escape but could see only flames outside his bedroom door. He said a quick prayer and then jumped to safety from his second-story window.
As horrible as the incident was, Vladimir Shamoyan and his family are not strangers to such acts of inhumanity. In fact, over a month ago they heard threats that their property would be destroyed if they did not discontinue their worship. Located in the Samgori district of Tbilisi, their home regularly served as a meeting place for the local community of Jehovahs Witnesses. Living in a country where religious freedom in theory exists but where in practice intolerance is condoned, the past two years have brought repeated mob actions, property damage, lootings and cruel physical abuse against those who dare to profess a faith other than Orthodoxy.
Last month defrocked Orthodox priest Vasili Mkavalishvili, who has openly orchestrated previous acts of mob violence, declared on public television: "I am gravely warning all of Georgia and the population, especially the representatives of the sect of the Jehovists, not to gather together and not to hold their satanic meetings. Although I am forbidden to go to them my parishioners will come, and after today their terrible pogroms will begin."
Vasili refers to a legal document he signed restricting his movement to Tbilisi and agreeing not to interfere with meetings of Jehovahs Witnesses any further. "This has not stopped the violence," Christian Presber, local spokesman for Jehovahs Witnesses, said of the restraining order. "This is the 64th attack on Jehovahs Witnesses, some of them very large disruptions, and all with impunity. Vasili openly proclaims that he informs the government security and the government ministries each time he is going to lead an attack, but no action is ever taken to prevent him."
A trail of ashes leading to the street indicates that the fire was started intentionally. The fire department has initiated an investigation into this latest of a series of unpunished violent acts.
Levan Ramishvili, director of the Institute of Liberty operating out of Tbilisi, said in an exclusive interview: "We face a crisis. Like in Nazi Germany in the 30s and late 20s, we have a similar situation."
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Masked men beat women and children with clubs
as Georgian Member of Parliament watches
www.jw-georgia.org (02.05.2001) / HRWF International Secretariat (03.05.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - On 30 April 2001, in the Svanetizubani district of Tbilisi, men, women and children were attacked during a peaceful religious meeting by a mob of Orthodox extremists wielding clubs studded with nails. According to eyewitnesses, a Member of Parliament, Jemal Gamakharia, was present during the attack.
"Those in attendance were violently dragged outside and beaten. I saw Tamaz Nachkebia attacked so viciously that he received a concussion and required five stitches to a deep gash on the head," stated Zviad Dzadzamia, who also suffered injuries. According to Dzadzamia, Member of Parliament Jemal Gamakharia told victims, "You received what you deserve, and the worse is yet to come."
The mob, followers of defrocked priest Vasili Mkalavishvili, also ransacked the home where the meeting was taking place, destroying all furniture, electrical equipment, and breaking all windows. Religious literature and benches were taken outside and burned in a large bonfire. Police arrived after the mob fled and blamed the victims for holding religious meetings. This was the second attack on the same congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses in the last few weeks.
A member of the mob, Lia Akhalkatsi, who has participated in previous attacks on Jehovah's Witnesses, filmed the attack. Other members of the mob wore masks to hide their identity. However, some of these masks came off during the attack, and attackers were easily identified as members of Mkalavishvili's mob.
In an interview published on 5 April 2001, Member of Parliament Koba Davitashvili discussed why attacks by Mkalavishvili's mob are continuing. He stated that the Police and other government agencies "have implemented the syndrome of 'non-punishability,' a syndrome which creates the basis for the appearance of 'Vasilis.'
The campaign of violent attacks was prompted by the 1999 attack in the Gldani district by the same mob of Orthodox extremists. To this day none of the perpetrators of any attack, though their identities are well known, have been brought to justice.
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Mob violence escalates
Watch Tower (30.04.2001) / HRWF International Secretariat (02.05.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - On 29 April 2001, there were three new attacks as Orthodox religious extremists continue to terrorize Jehovah's Witnesses. The attacks took place in Rustavi, Tbilisi and Poti. In two of these attacks, police refused to act.
In Rustavi, "at approximately 10:15 a.m., a mob of 15 men tried to break down the door of the apartment where we were holding a religious meeting," stated Ilia Eterishvili, who presided at the meeting. "Everyone escaped through the window, but the mob followed us onto the street, assaulted me, punching and kicking me as I fell to the ground, and stole personal belongings of several others. The police refused to accept our complaints." This is the third such attack in Rustavi over the last five weeks.
In the Mukhiani district of Tbilisi, a mob of twenty men thought to be followers of defrocked priest, Vasili Mkalavishvili, broke into the home of Nugzar Butkhuzi, one of Jehovah's Witnesses, while the family was absent and ransacked the contents of the house and burned the family's religious literature on the street. "The police were called, but when they arrived they were drunk and simply stated that the family had gotten what they deserved," stated Mr. Butkhuzi.
In Poti, the police intervened to prevent a mob of 40 followers of Mkalavishvili from attacking two different meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses. However, no one in the mob was arrested.
A recent public statement by the Supreme Court and a parliamentary resolution condemned religious extremism and called on law-enforcement agencies to take measures to end the violence.
"It is high time for Georgia to take steps to stop these attacks," stated local attorney, Mamuka Chabashvili. "The inaction of law enforcement officials is contributing to the escalating violence. This is a question that is presently before the courts of Georgia and if this produces no results, there will be no option but to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights for relief."
U.S. pastor sustains injuries in Tbilisi mob assault
WRNS (06.04.2001) HRWF International Secretariat (24.04.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - Labeled as Satanists and beaten for close to 10 minutes by a mob of angry locals, nine Assembly of God pastors experienced religious persecution firsthand on March 24. Ironically, the attack was reportedly instigated by an Orthodox priest.
"I want people to know what is going on in other parts of the world and ask Christians to pray," says Rev. B.G. Nevitt, pastor of Glad Tidings Assembly of God Church in Decatur, Illinois. "This happens to believers over there all the time."
During the assault, Nevitt sustained a broken finger on his left hand and numerous bruises, which left him with radiating pain in his arms, back and neck. Other pastors - from Ohio, Montana, Wisconsin, and elsewhere - were not as seriously injured.
Father Basili Mkalavishvili, a defrocked Georgian Orthodox priest, reportedly led the mob. According to the Associated Press, Mkalavishvili is well-known to human rights groups for attacking religious minorities in a nation that is 65 percent Georgian Orthodox. He was expelled from his church six years ago for opposing its ecumenical activities.
"But," says Nevitt, "I didn't see any Orthodox leaders condemning Mkalavishvili's actions either." He mentioned that Mkalavishvili still wears his priestly garments and a cross around his neck. Why would a priest attack a fellow believer? "Anything that is not of the true and pure Orthodox faith, he condemns as satanic," Nevitt says.
Indeed, Amnesty International reports that followers of Mkalavishvili, "who is radically opposed to the newer non-Orthodox Christian faiths, have demonstrated publicly carrying posters saying 'Orthodoxy or Death.'"
Georgia's Orthodox church leaders have complained they are struggling to retain members because many foreign religious groups have entered Georgia since the breakup of the Soviet Union. Georgia, a nation of approximately 5 million people located between Russia and Turkey, celebrates its 10th anniversary of independence from the Soviet Union this month.
Nevitt and the other U.S. pastors were conducting a church leaders' conference for Georgian believers March 22-23. On Friday the 23rd, a group of Mkalavishvili's followers tried to push their way into the conference to disrupt it. Nevitt says in the past, the group has "broken into services and meetings and drug people out in the streets. They've beaten them and burned all the literature and materials that they've had."
The local Christians, "knowing that this is a constant threat, had people positioned at doorways and windows to watch for anyone who might try to break in, and they barred the doors," says Nevitt. "Believers have this drill so down pat, there was no wondering what we should do. They immediately scooped up the children and put them into hiding. They gathered up the Bibles and immediately boxed them and threw them into a safe keeping place.
"I was so impressed by their knowledge of what to do, but saddened by the fact that they had to be so good at it," Nevitt adds.
What happened next, according to Nevitt, was a lot of shouting and intimidation while the mob of people tried to force their way in. When they couldn't enter, they damaged some vehicles that were outside. They also posted notices on the vehicles and on the doors to the building, "giving strict warning never to meet again," says Nevitt. The group threatened to come back later in the day with an even larger mob. They did not.
On Saturday, the pastors visited a property they helped to buy in hopes of establishing a Bible training center and humanitarian aid center. "We were on the property maybe 10 minutes," says Nevitt. "Then a car pulled up behind us, honked its horn, and Mkalavishvili and some of his strong men got out. They rang a bell and in the next instant there were 100 or better people there. And before I knew it, I was on the ground, and they were beating us with rocks, sticks, clubs and fists, and they were stomping on us. They pulled my hair, they spit on us, they picked me up by my belt and pulled me up and slammed me to the ground again and again." Nevitt adds that the attackers stole more than $3,500 worth of cameras and other equipment.
Nevitt says he could not understand the language being spoken by the mob, but one word that kept being repeated over and over was "Satan" or "Satanists," according to local translators.
According to Nevitt, the local police stationed directly across the street saw what happened but they turned their heads in the other direction. Nevitt says this is common: "I don't know how many unreported incidents there have been, but I know of at least seven other major incidents along this line with police reports being filed. And absolutely nothing has been done to arrest this man or do anything about this situation."
Nevitt continues, "When I got back, I did hear from an official with the Georgian government. He promised he would do everything in his power to see that some kind of justice is done." But, Nevitt says, he has doubts. "Nothing has ever been done to this man so far. In fact, it is rumored that Mkalavishvili has ties with some high government officials and backing by intelligence agencies such as the KGB."
The mob, says Nevitt, "had to be organized to some degree. We were at this property so brief a period of time, for them to know that we were there,to have this group organized, to have them situated in such a way to ambush the pastors, they knew what was going on."
Mkalavishvili's group burned books printed for Jehovah's Witness members earlier this month and burned tons of Baptist literature in a separate incident, an Associated Press report said. Jehovah's Witness adherents also mentioned that police were nearby but did not interfere when their books were burned.
According to Amnesty International, in a separate incident, Tbilisi police faced criticism for allegedly failing to respond when followers of Mkalavishvili assaulted members of a Jehovah's Witness congregation. Extracts from a video of the attack were shown on Georgian television, prompting widespread condemnation, even from President Eduard Shevardnadze who called for the attackers to be charged. But to Amnesty International's knowledge, Mkalavishvili has evaded being charged or prosecuted for that incident andfor attacks on Pentecostal believers.
"If someone is prosecuted in this case, it will only be because they attacked Americans," says Nevitt. "If Georgians had been beaten, nobody would have done a thing." Nevitt says that Georgian Christians often face grave persecution. "I was told that if the mob had seen my Georgian interpreter with us, they would have killed him."
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Campaign of terror against Jehovahs Witnesses in Rustavi continues
www.jw-georgia.org (09.04.2001)/ HRWF International Secretariat (23.04.2001)- Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - Saturday, 7 April 2001, a mob of 20 men led by Paata Bluashvili, assistant director of the Rustavi marketplace Istanbul, attacked a meeting of Jehovahs Witnesses. The mob ransacked the apartment where the meeting was being held, destroying equipment and looting literature and personal belongings. Neighbors who tried to intervene on behalf of Jehovahs Witnesses were beaten. The mob then turned on the Witnesses and assaulted them. Upon exiting the building, they made a bonfire, burning the religious literature they had made off with.
This is the second time in less than two weeks that Paata Bluashvili has led an attack against Jehovahs Witnesses in Rustavi. This time he personally participated in assaulting others. The mob responsible is made up of members of the "Cross" organization, an ultra-Orthodox extremist group, led by Bluashvili. Government officials have been notified so that appropriate measures can be taken against those responsible.
"This mob has been terrorizing us for the last month and a half," stated Kviria Ardoteli, a victim in the attack who suffered injuries to the face. "When we went to the Police after this attack, they claimed we are violating public order by meeting together in our own homes."
"This is not simply a matter of petty criminal activity," said John Burns, international human rights specialist. "This mob is dangerous. It is only a question of time before they seriously injure or kill someone."
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Georgian Orthodox Church given
special role in society
Interfax News Agency (30.03.2001) HRWF International Secretariat (06.04.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - The Georgian parliament at a plenary session on Friday passed a bill on entering amendments in the national constitution giving the Orthodox Church a special role to play in society. In accordance with the endorsed amendments, the Church is independent from the state and deals with it on the basis of an appropriate accord.
The Georgian president's parliamentary secretary Dzhony Khetsuriani has said the amendments do not mean that Orthodox Christianity has been declared a national religion in Georgia even though lots of countries, European among them, could be cited on this score.
He said the amendments concerning the Georgian Orthodox Church's status do not infringe on human rights in the country in any way and meet all international provisions and norms in the field of human rights and freedoms.
Once this bill had been passed, the parliament began to debate the issue of religious extremism, which has become an embarrassing problem for Georgia in recent time. This concerns unlawful actions by priest Vasil Mklavishvili excommunicated from the Georgian Orthodox Church and about 1,000 of his followers, regularly raiding the congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses, Baptists, Evangelists, and other believers.
The parliament adopted a ruling condemning the manifestations of any religious violence and instructed the law enforcement agencies to apply the strictest measures to religious extremists.
Meanwhile, as the parliament debated the religious extremism issue, Mklavishvili was summoned to the prosecutor's office in Tbilisi for questioning on Friday. He was charged on seven concrete facts of beating sect members and burning their literature in public. Until now, Georgian police and the prosecutor's office had turned a blind eye to actions by the former clergyman and his followers, which have been going on for almost two years.
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Minorities concerned over Orthodox concordat
by Aleksandr Shchipkov,
Keston News Service (04.04.2001) HRWF International Secretariat (05.04.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - Some of Georgia's minority faiths have expressed their concerns about a constitutional amendment adopted by parliament on 30 March establishing relations between the state and the Orthodox Church on the basis of a concordat. The parliamentary move, which was approved with 188 deputies in favour and none against, will lead to the adoption of a concordat to govern relations between the state and the Orthodox Church currently being drawn up by a group of deputies and officials of the Orthodox Patriarchate. Despite pledges by President Eduard Shevardnadze on 2 April in his weekly radio interview that the constitutional amendment and the concordat would not harm the religious liberty of non-Orthodox citizens, some other faiths remain concerned, and plan to discuss their concerns at a forthcoming meeting with the president.
Shevardnadze emphasised that `the rights of other religious organisations and of atheists' would not be affected. `This law does not mean that any religion will be oppressed or treated as inferior,' he declared. `This would contradict the aspiration of our constitution and the principles on which the formation of our state is based.' The president noted that `representatives' of the Armenian Church, the Catholic Church, Judaism and Islam reacted to the amendment of the Constitution `with understanding'.
The draft agreement regulates relations between the Church and the State and covers areas including the army, prisons, hospitals, education, social welfare, marriage, property relations and church finances.
Some of the provisions are: the Church fulfils its functions on the basis of the norms of canon law within the framework of the agreement and Georgian legislation; clergy are not subject to military conscription; clergy have the right not to give evidence about facts that they are told confidentially as spiritual counsellors or which become known to them; the State recognises marriage registered by the church; the State will facilitate the creation of a body of military chaplains in the army; the State will facilitate the creation of a body of prison chaplains; programmes for the teaching of Orthodox doctrine in schools and the appointment of teachers proposed by the Church are to be confirmed by the State; the State and the Church have the right to implement joint social welfare programmes; the property of the Church is exempt from land tax and property tax; the property of the Church and other property rights are guaranteed by law; the State does not have the right to confiscate property from the Church; the Church has the right to receive donations and also income from letting its property.
Three drafts of the Constitutional agreement have been published, though the text will continue to be refined. The most recent draft has been sent for advice to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which is expected to give its opinion in May as to whether the agreement corresponds to international norms.
The consultations with the Council of Europe about the concordat are not binding as officials believe the long-standing precedent of concluding concordats between various states and the Catholic church is an indication of the legitimacy of the practice. During the present papacy alone the Vatican has concluded about 60 bilateral diplomatic treaties with European partners.
Bishop Malkhaz Songulashvili, the head of the Baptist Church, told Keston on 2 April his church is concerned about the constitutional amendment. `I am dubious about the idea, since the position with regard to other religious bodies is not clear.' He said his church is also willing to enter into treaty relations with the state, but only if treaties are concluded with all religious organisations.
In response to these decisions four of the country's major Christian churches - the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Evangelical-Lutheran Church and the Baptist Church - have joined together to lobby for their interests. These churches are trying to achieve either the adoption of a special law on religious associations (Georgia has no such law) or the establishment of simple treaty relations (rather than constitutional agreements) between the state and all religious organisations.
Levan Ramishvili of the Tbilisi-based NGO the Liberty Institute told Keston by telephone on 2 April that many human rights activists regard the model of a constitutional agreement as more appropriate, as the adoption of a special law on freedom of conscience might repeat the Russian situation and lead to a law with discriminatory provisions. `But we believe that a concordat should be concluded with all religious associations regardless of their numbers and how long they have been active in Georgia.' Ramishvili proposes proceeding in stages: first an agreement with the Orthodox Church, then with all other religious groups.
However, Orthodox representatives have told Keston they would resist any constitutional agreements with any other faiths. `The Orthodox Church would welcome agreements between the state and other faiths, but would not welcome any constitutional agreements with other faiths,' Zurab Khovrebadze, deputy head of the Patriarchate's press service, told Keston on 3 April. `Such agreements must be on a lower level.' He declared that as the `traditional faith' of the Georgian people, the Orthodox Church had the right to be regarded as above other faiths, claiming that Orthodox constitute the `absolute majority' of the population.
Basil Mkalavishvili, a priest defrocked by the Patriarchate and now under the jurisdiction of Greek Old Calendarists and who leads the Gldani Orthodox diocese, strongly opposes the constitutional agreement, according to his press secretary Irina Gogalishvili. `This constitutional agreement is directed against us,' she told Keston by telephone from Tbilisi on 2 April. `The Ecumenical Georgian Patriarchate is increasing its own rights and trying to get back the lands which belonged to the Orthodox Church before the revolution and also to gain possession of all the church valuables which are today housed in museums. We are against the concordat. We want to declare Orthodoxy as the state religion, call a church assembly and elect a patriarch.'
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Experts of Council of Europe present recommendations to Georgian parliament on agreement between church and state
RIA OREANDA (30.03.2001) HRWF International Secretariat (05.04.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - Experts of the Council of Europe Department for Human Rights have presented recommendations on the draft of a constitutional agreement between the Georgian Orthodox church and the state to the Georgian parliament. As reported on Thursday evening at a press conference by Vice-speaker of the Georgian parliament Gigi Tsereteli, who visited Strasbourg last week, the Council of Europe approved the idea of concluding such an agreement, but recommended to bring the provisions of this document into line with international standards of protection of rights.
A negative backdrop for the meetings being held in Strasbourg, Tsereteli said, was created by information at the disposal of the Council of Europe regarding attacks by adherents of excommunicated priest Vasily Mkalavishvili upon representatives of religious minorities in Tbilisi. Gigi Tsereteli thinks that it is necessary that measures for ending manifestations of religious extremism be adopted immediately in the country. Otherwise, serious problems in international relations will arise for Georgia, he said.
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Renegade Orthodox attack visiting U.S. Protestants in Georgia
By Frank Brown
RNS (28.03.2001) HRWF International Secretariat (05.04.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - Several dozen renegade Orthodox Christians wielding sticks and brooms attacked a group of visiting U.S. Protestants on Saturday in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, leaving the Americans with minor injuries and taking thousands of dollars in video equipment, one of the victims said Monday (March 26).
The attack, led by excommunicated Georgian Orthodox priest Father Basili Mkalashvishvili, is part of an ongoing campaign to drive minority faiths out of the former Soviet republic and enjoys the tacit support of local police and prosecutors, Georgian Baptist, Pentecostal and Jehovah's Witness leaders said Monday.
The group of nine Assembly of God pastors from the United States were visiting Tbilisi for a two-day prayer conference with local Pentecostal believers. After the conference, at about 4 p.m. Saturday, the pastors traveled by bus to a lot where Pentecostals are building a Bible school, partly with U.S. contributions.
"Suddenly, like a whirlwind, Basili pulled up in his car, screaming and hollering," said the group's leader, Sam Johnson, in a Monday telephone interview from Tbilisi. "People emerged out of nowhere. Women and children and thugs with their clubs and sticks and brooms."
"Basili was there, too, with a video camera and he began to tape the whole thing as they beat us," said Johnson, vice president of the Colorado Springs, Colo.-based Mission of Mercy humanitarian aid organization which works with the Assemblies of God in 27 countries. One pastor, B.G. Nevitt of Decatur, Ill., suffered a broken finger, another pastor a cut lip and "several of us are walking around with limps today," said Johnson. Although Mkalashvishvili's group has been accused of and sometimes videotaped attacking Jehovah's Witnesses, Baptists and Pentecostals, this is the first time they targeted foreigners.
Baptist leader Bishop Malkhaz Songulashvili said Monday, "This is not new, this has been happening for the last three years but only to local people and no one paid attention." "Now these Americans have been beaten up and now at last the international community is paying attention," said Songulashvili, who said that Baptists had a truckload of religious literature hijacked and burned on March 10 by Mkalashvishvili's followers.
A spokeswoman for Mkalashvishvili's church denied Monday the group beat anyone, saying, "They are lying. We don't hurt anyone. Do you think we're crazy?" Zurab Rostiashvili, a lawyer retained by the Pentecostals to push the case after the group's scheduled Tuesday(March 27) departure, said that although Mkalashvishvili's followers have never been arrested, much less prosecuted, "It is significant that it was Americans. ... Now, the (Georgian) diplomats are taking an interest and I will squeeze them so that this gets investigated objectively."
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Parliamentary condemnation of religious violence ignored
by Felix Corley
Keston News Service (03.04.2001)/ HRWF International Secretariat (04.04.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - Religious minority leaders in Georgia have claimed that the parliamentary resolution condemning religious violence has been all but ignored by the local media. Bishop Malkhaz Songulashvili, the head of the Baptist Union, told Keston News Service that the resolution C adopted on 30 March by a vote of 135 to four - was designed primarily for foreign consumption. In the resolution, deputies called on law enforcement personnel to block any manifestations of religious intolerance or violence and to use the harshest measures against those guilty of such extremism. On the same day, parliament adopted a constitutional amendment giving the Orthodox Church a special role in society, which has also aroused concern from other religious groups.
Over the past two years, Pentecostals, Baptists and Jehovah's Witnesses have been subject to often vicious physical attacks by defrocked Orthodox priest Basil Mkalavishvili and his supporters in Tbilisi, as well as by similarly- minded attackers in other towns, which have so far gone unpunished.
Zurab Khovrebadze, deputy head of the Orthodox Patriarchate's press service, denied that the Orthodox Patriarchate had been reluctant to condemn the religious violence. He told Keston from Tbilisi on 3 April that the Patriarchate categorically condemns' religious violence and religious extremism from whatever source, including, as he put it, extremism on the part of sectarians'. We have condemned such extremism more than once,' he explained. He admitted that Mkalavishvili and his supporters were the only group that physically attacked believers of other faiths, though he claimed that Jehovah's Witnesses were very aggressive' towards the Orthodox Church. He claimed they insulted icons, Christ and the Church and, in one case, had damaged a hill chapel two years ago in the Dusheti district north of Tbilisi.
Khovrebadze had no information about Patriarch Ilya's response to the representations by the Archbishop of Canterbury's representative to the Georgian Orthodox Church, Father Phillip Storr Venter, who visited the Patriarchate on 26 March to express the Anglican Church's concern about the violence against religious minorities. Father Storr Venter had spoken to Pentecostal and Baptist victims of the violence in the previous days.
Bishop Songulashvili reported that a number of religious minority and human rights representatives had attended a meeting earlier on 3 April at the office of the ombudsman, Nana Devdariani, to express concern about the continuing violence and the constitutional amendment granting the Orthodox Church special status. He added that in the evening of 4 April, representatives of the traditional faiths' - including the Orthodox, Muslims, Armenian Church, Jews, Catholics, Baptists and Lutherans - are scheduled to meet at the state chancellery to prepare for a proposed meeting with President Eduard Shevardnadze to discuss the religious situation. The date for the meeting with the president is expected to be set then.
Despite discussing the constitutional amendment on the role of the Orthodox Church in his weekly interview with the journalist Nato Oniani, broadcast live by Georgian radio on 2 April, Shevardnadze made no mention of the religious violence nor of the parliamentary resolution condemning it.
Mkalavishvili was summoned by the prosecutor's office in Tbilisi on 30 March to answer questions on seven criminal cases, but was not arrested.
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Will Georgia protect religious freedom?
Watch Tower Georgia (02.04.2001)/ HRWF International Secretariat (03.04.2001) Website:http://www.hrwf.net- Email: info@hrwf.net - "We have burned, we are burning, we will burn!" announced Mikheil Nikoleishvili, member of the Gldani diocese, after participating in a raid on a public building where literature for Jehovahs Witnesses was being printed. An elderly woman who joined in the raid ardently chimed in: "Yes, I burned their literature, and Ill burn it again!" In that instance 5,000 pieces of Bible literature, mainly brochures that recount the history of how the Bible was written, went up in flames on the street outside the printery.
Vasili Mkalavishvili, former Orthodox priest and self-appointed leader of the mob, proudly added: "I am very satisfied, for today we have saved 5,000 Orthodox souls, and did not allow these apostles of the Antichrist, these representatives of the sect of the Jehovists, to spiritually poison the Georgian people."
A person could easily lose count of how many literature burnings and mob actions have taken place in recent months in Georgia, a former Soviet republic. Invading meetings where families gather to worship peacefully, even in private homes, the mobs have punched, dragged, kicked and bruised people whose only "crime" was their choice of faith. Other Protestant faiths have experienced similar treatment, including some American visitors, Baptists who were in Georgia in the last week of March.
United States Congressman Christopher Smith, Co-Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, responded to the reports: "A person, whether he or she be a Jehovah's Witness, or any other minority faith, should never, ever be singled out and subjected to harassment, beatings, and abuse because of that. We've been following the worsening developments in Georgia against minority faiths, and Jehovah's Witnesses in particular. The glide path here is a negative one. That mobs are being incited to, not only burn literature, which is totally contrary to the Helsinki accordsit reminds some of us of the book burnings that happened during the Nazi years. These mob attacks where police looking askance as people are attacked, beaten, even in courtrooms. And Ive seen video evidence of that. Its very, very troubling. Jehovahs Witnesses are being targeted in a very, very cruel way."
A statement issued by the Georgia Supreme Court appealing to law enforcement and citizens alike states: "The Supreme Court appeals to all law enforcement structures to take appropriate measures against those persons, who place themselves above the law and because of religious motives, they take it upon themselves [to] execute justice. Such acts are not only illegal, but they also create a serious danger for the public and the State."
New attack on minority faiths in former Soviet Republic
RNS (30.03.2001) HRWF International Secretariat (02.04.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - A group of about 20 men broke up a Jehovah's Witnesses service in a private home, looted furniture and religious material and, the next day, set fire to it in a crowded open-air market, an eyewitness in the former Soviet republic of Georgia said Thursday (March 29).
Tuesday's attack, at least the sixth in March against minority faiths in Georgia, was joined by a priest of the Georgian Orthodox Church in the city of Rustavi, located about 50 kilometers southeast of the Georgian capital, Tbilisi.
Ramazi Khivibliani, a leader of a Jehovah's Witnesses congregation in Rustavi who witnessed the attack, said no one was injured because the 80 men, women and children taking part in the afternoon prayer service heeded the men's threats and left.
"No one ended up in the hospital but they promised us that if we meet again, they will beat us," said Khivibliani in a telephone interview from Tbilisi, noting that the men returned to the meeting place Thursday when a service had been scheduled but cancelled because the furniture was looted.
During Tuesday afternoon's incident, Khivibliani said, he and other leaders tried to dissuade the men by showing them documents demonstrating the Jehovah's Witnesses' right to hold religious services.
"Father Teimuraz told us they don't care about any kind law," said Khivibliani, referring to a local Georgian Orthodox priest who took part in the attack. "He said they are going to do what needs to be done."
Father Teimuraz was not immediately available for comment from Rustavi, where communications are poor.
A worker in the office of Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilya II who gave her name as Thekla confirmed that Father Teimuraz is a cleric in the 3 million-member Georgian Orthodox Church.
"Yes, he is a member," she said by telephone from Tbilisi. "But he is acting for himself. He had no authorization from his holiness."
According to Jehovah's Witnesses officials in Tbilisi, Orthodox priests frequently take part in attacks on the fast-growing minority faith that now claims at least 14,000 active members.
Most recently on March 5 and 6, a mob of 150 people led by four priests beat Jehovah's Witnesses and looted their meeting place in the western Georgian city of Sachkhere, said Christian Presber, a human rights consultant for the Witnesses in Tbilisi.
Georgia's Orthodox clergyman best known for his intolerance of religious minorities is Father Basili Mkalashvishvili, defrocked by the Tbilisi church for disobedience and now part of a conservative Greek Orthodox church.
On March 24, Mkalashvishvili's followers used sticks and brooms to attack nine Assembly of God pastors from the United States who were visiting Tbilisi for a two-day prayer conference with local Pentecostal believers. One of the pastors suffered a broken finger and, as a group, they were robbed of electronic equipment valued at $4,000.
Echoing the complaints of Baptist and Pentecostal leaders, Presber said police and prosecutors' consistent refusal to take action has led to a steady increase in the frequency and boldness of the attacks that include just this year the hijacking of a truck carrying Baptist literature and the seizure and burning of Witnesses literature at a Tbilisi printing plant.
"This is just the beginning. Mkalashvishvili has called Catholicism, Judaism and Islam all heretical sects," said Presber, mentioning three faiths with a presence in Georgia for at least seven centuries. "He is beginning with the Jehovah's Witnesses, Baptists and Pentecostals but he will move on."
Jehovah's Witnesses books burned
Associated Press (28.03.2001)/ HRWF International Secretariat (30.03.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net- Georgian Orthodox Church activists on Wednesday burned books printed for the local Jehovah's Witnesses community as police stood by and watched the second such incident this month.
The book burning by members of the Christian Society, an Orthodox group, took place near the outdoor market in the city of Rustavi, some 30 miles west of the Georgian capital, Tbilisi.
Christian Tresber, an adviser for Jehovah's Witnesses in Georgia, said the Orthodox activists stole the books Tuesday after breaking into an apartment building where Jehovah's Witnesses gathered for prayer.
Local police did not intervene as the activists burned books for about three hours, Rustavi-2 television reported.
Earlier this month, a defrocked Orthodox priest and several dozen followers broke into a printing house and burned copies of a book printed for a Jehovah's Witness community, news reports said. The same group burned several tons of Baptist literature in the town of Mtskheta.
Jehovah's Witnesses have sought to be recognized as an official religious denomination in Georgia, and they were registered by a district court in Tbilisi. But another court later annulled the registration, and the Supreme Court upheld that ruling this month.
The Supreme Court said no religious group can be registered in the absence of a Georgian law on religion, which remains in the works.
Church leaders in Georgia, Russia and other predominantly Orthodox Christian countries of the former Soviet Union have decried the influx of foreign religious groups since the 1991 Soviet collapse.
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Pentecostals latest victims of religious violence
by Felix Corley
KESTON NEWS SERVICE (28.03.2001) HRWF International Secretariat (29.03.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - Defrocked Orthodox priest Basil Mkalavishvili and his supporters have directed their attacks at Pentecostal Christians in the latest in a series of attacks against religious minorities and journalists that have so far gone unpunished. A group of eight visiting Pentecostal pastors - seven of them Americans and one South African - were attacked by Mkalavishvili and some 70 of his supporters in the Gldani district of the Georgian capital Tbilisi on 24 March, Pentecostal leaders have told Keston News Service, although Mkalavishvili's threats to return the next day to attack the Pentecostal church's Sunday service failed to materialise. However, Mkalavishvili resolutely denied that he and his supporters beat the visiting pastors, though he told Keston categorically that he has the right to ban `sectarians' from building their `Satanist' churches and he would stop the Pentecostals building on the site where the pastors were attacked.
The eight foreign pastors were visiting Tbilisi for a conference when, on the way back to their hotel, they decided to stop off at the site where the Pentecostals plan to build a Bible college. `They just wanted to take photos and videofilm of the site to show people in the United States,'Pentecostal Bishop Olegi Khubashvili told Keston by telephone from Tbilisi on 27 March, `but they were there only about fifteen minutes before Basil Mkalavishvili and some seventy supporters turned up. They then began to beat them, carrying on for about ten minutes before they disappeared.' He reported that the attackers stole several cameras and videocameras.
After the attack the visiting pastors returned to their hotel where three of them needed medical attention. `The beatings were not too strong, but there were injuries,' Bishop Khubashvili declared. Officers from the Gldani police came the following day to take statements from the victims and the case has now been passed to the Gldani procuracy. `I believe there will be a criminal case,' Bishop Khubashvili added, `though it is difficult to say how it will go.'
Bishop Khubashvili - who was not present when the attack took place - declared categorically that Mkalavishvili was the instigator of the attack. `Of course it was he who led the attack.' He also insists that violence was used.
However, speaking to Keston by telephone from his church office on 28 March, Mkalavishvili denied absolutely that any violence had been used against the pastors or that any cameras had been stolen. `They are lying. Fifteen of us arrived and told them to leave, saying that they had come as foreigners to build a church and that we were not going to let them. But there was no violence. We are simply not allowing them to build.' Mkalavishvili went on to deny that he and his supporters had ever used violence against other Pentecostals, Baptists, Jehovah's Witnesses and journalists, despite witnesses from numerous victims attesting to this violence (see KNS 23 March 2001). On 15 March, however, the Supreme Court of Georgia issued a statement condemning 'the acts of vandalism of Basil Mkalavishvili and his followers . and other expressions of religious extremism and intolerance'.
Mkalavishvili did not deny that he was engaged in a campaign to obstruct the activity of non-Orthodox groups. `We won't allow sectarians to build their Satanic churches,' he declared of the Pentecostals, Baptists and Jehovah's Witnesses. `We are a country that has been Orthodox for twenty centuries,' he maintained. `They are against Orthodoxy and insult Jesus Christ. They are selling out Orthodoxy and the Georgian soul.' Asked what gave him the right as a private individual to attack and obstruct the work of religious minorities, he insisted: `It is my business. I am a Georgian citizen. I will not allow them to conduct their work.'
He contrasted what he believed was the lack of difficulty for religious minorities to acquire building plots with the difficulty he said his congregation has experienced trying to acquire a plot to build in the Gldani district. (Mkalavishvili was defrocked by the Georgian Patriarchate in 1995 and is now under the jurisdiction of Greek Old Calendarists.) `The state doesn't allow us to build a church though I have 15,000 spiritual children. We have had to worship on the street for the past six years.' Asked who had specifically banned his church from acquiring a site and building a church he declared: `The city mayor, the parliament.' Asked why the difficulties his congregation has faced in acquiring a site justified attacks on other religious communities he declared: `They [the authorities] won't give us a site but they [the Pentecostals] have been able to buy a site easily.'
The attack on the pastors came the day after Mkalavishvili and four supporters arrived at the Pentecostal conference which was attended by some 300 people. `We decided not to let them in,' Bishop Khubashvili declared, `but they promised to return in larger numbers. However, they did not do so.' He added that at the Pentecostals' Sunday service on 25 March, the local police warned that Mkalavishvili had threatened to come along and break up the service. The police advised them to leave the building. The 600 Pentecostals at the service declined to leave, telling the police that it was their duty to come and defend them against any attack, and the service continued. Bishop Khubashvili reported that the police then sent five cars of officers, who remained outside on the pavement until the end of the service.`There were no incidents,' he declared. `Mkalavishvili did not turn up.'
No end in sight as violence against
religious minorities continues
HRWF International Secretariat (29.03.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - A mob of 30 men led by Orthodox priest, "Father Teimuraz," broke up a meeting of Jehovahs Witnesses and ransacked the private home where they were gathered. The men destroyed equipment, threw personal property out the windows, and stole 300 Georgian Lari and the deed to the home. Police stood and watched as the thieves made off with personal property.
"This mob broke into my home and demolished it in broad daylight," said the owner of the home, Jimsher Gogelashvili. "The Police obviously approve and are authorized to ignore such violence."
This latest outrage marks a year and a half of nonstop violence against religious minorities, beginning with the October 17, 1999 mob attack of priest Vasili Mkalavishvili and his followers on Jehovahs Witnesses in the Gldani region of Tbilisi. To date, the government has ignored all internal and international pleas to put a stop to the violence, including a petition signed by over 130,000 Georgian citizens.
"It is evident that certain Orthodox priests in the country view the inaction on the part of the government as a signal that attacks on religious minorities are acceptable," stated Inga Geliashvili, lawyer for Jehovahs Witnesses. "Both the government and the Church say they condemn such violence, but neither take any action whatsoever to stop it."
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American Baptists beaten by followers of defrocked priest
Associated Press (24.03.2001)/ HRWF International Secretariat (27.03.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - Followers of a defrocked Georgian priest beat eight visiting American Baptists in this former Soviet republic on Saturday and stole camera equipment, Baptist leaders said.
The Americans had just arrived in Georgia's capital Tbilisi when former priest Vasily Mkalavishvili and his supporters arrived at the city's Baptist headquarters and attacked them, said Baptist priest Malkhaz Songulashvili.
Songulashvili accused police of ignoring the victims' pleas for help and suggested they were sympathetic to the attackers. Police officials and Mkalavishvili would not comment on the attack.
Mkalavishvili was stripped of his post by Georgia's Orthodox Patriarchate in 1995, which accused him of anti-Christian policies. He has strongly opposed activities by religious minorities in this traditionally Orthodox nation.
He and his supporters broke into a printing house and burned copies of a book printed for a Jehovah's Witness community earlier this month, and burned tons of Baptist literature in a separate action. Jehovah's Witness members said police were present but did not interfere with the book burning.
Orthodox Church leaders in Georgia, Russia and other ex-Soviet states say they are struggling to retain followers because of the influx of foreign religious groups since the 1991 collapse of the atheist Soviet Union.
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Will action against rebel priest halt violence?
by Lorna Howard and Felix Corley
Keston News Service (23.03.2001) HRWF International Secretariat (26.03.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net -A consolidated criminal case has been launched against Basil Mkalavishvili, the excommunicated Georgian Orthodox priest who has been waging a campaign of terror against religious minorities, Dali Sadatierashvili, head of the general prosecutor's office information service, told Keston News Service from the Georgian capital Tbilisi by telephone on 23 March. Mkalavishvili and his supporters have attacked religious meetings and property of a range of religious minorities, including Jehovah's Witnesses, Pentecostals and Baptists in recent years, hitherto with impunity. An informed source
has stated that without pressure on the Georgian government from the USA and the Council of Europe, the attacks will not be halted.
The new general prosecutor of Georgia, Gia Meparishvili, whose appointment was confirmed by parliament on 13 February, issued an instruction on 16 March for eight criminal cases on charges of violence against Mkalavishvili and his followers to be brought into one and investigated by the Tbilisi city procuracy, Sadatierashvili said. Meparishvili is reportedly more sympathetic to the plight of those who have suffered at Mkalavishvili's hands than was his predecessor. Bishop Malkhaz Songulashvili of the Baptist Church (which was raided byarmed intruders on 15 March) told Keston by telephone from Tbilisi on 23 March that Meparishvili told him he would do the utmost to stop the violence. `It is important that crime is dealt with fairly and without partiality,' the prosecutor told the bishop.
Elena Tevdoradze, chair of the parliamentary Human Rights Committee, told Keston from Tbilisi by telephone on 23 March that she was pleased with the news. She had appealed in parliament on 18 March for Mkalavishvili to be brought to justice, she said, and the following day the Tbilisi prosecutor phoned her to say that proceedings had just begun. Asked if there was hope of a result she said her committee would be watching the process carefully.
Asked if it was true that the Minister of Internal Affairs and the Minister of State Security supported Mkalavishvili, Tevdoradze replied: `Such an opinion has built up because neither of those ministries have taken any kind of legal action against him.'
Bishop Songulashvili told Keston that he had had two meetings this week at the Georgian Patriarchate. The Patriarchate is very cautious and does not want to condemn the violence outright. Its official view seems to be reflected in an interview given last year by Patriarch Ilia II and reported in the Azaval Dasavali newspaper on 18 September 2000: `The Jehovah's Witnesses and Baptists should not be allowed into the country because their main goal is to destroy Georgia.' Despite this, the Orthodox Church signed an agreement with the Baptists on 5 February, agreeing to work together in the nation-building process and affirming the possibility of cooperation in `defence of human rights and peace in the region'. The agreement condemns `religious fanaticism, hatred, violence and proselytism' and is signed by Archimandrite Zenoni on behalf of the Orthodox Church and Bishop Songulashvili on behalf of the Baptist Church. Bishop Songulashvili told Keston that the Georgian Patriarchate had faced opposition because of the agreement.
Leaders of minority communities are keeping up the pressure. In an interview due for broadcast on public television tomorrow, 24 March, Pastor Zaal Tkeshelashvili of the Madli (Grace) Pentecostal church in the Tbilisi suburb of Gldani - which has itself suffered at the hands of Mkalavishvili and his supporters - urges the rights of religious minorities to be protected. He told Keston by telephone on 23 March that he mentions in the programme the case of Pentecostal schoolboy Vasil Basishvili, forced out of his school in Gldani in early March by supporters of Mkalavishvili. `He acts as a branch of the police - the police protect him,' Pastor Tkeshelashvili added. `We insist that our rights are equal to the rights of the Orthodox. They have no priority on grounds of religion.'
The Georgian government has been under diplomatic pressure to tackle the growing violence against religious minorities. Diplomatic sources have told Keston that at the beginning of February the European Union issued a demarche to the Georgian Foreign Ministry urging action to halt the violence.
Speaking during a visit to Tbilisi that concluded on 1 March, the OSCE chairman-in-office, Romanian Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana, expressed concern about the attacks on religious minorities, highlighting in particular the Jehovah's Witnesses, and urged greater religious tolerance. He urged the ombudsman to do more to protect the rights of religious minorities.
On 2 May Georgia's record will be considered in Geneva by the United Nations Committee against Torture, which monitors compliance with the Convention against Torture, to which Georgia is a party. The convention includes in its definition of torture `severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental' intentionally inflicted, whether by a public official or `with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity'. Under the terms of the convention, the Georgian government has the duty to prevent the violence against religious minorities, to end the impunity enjoyed by those guilty of these attacks and to institute `prompt and impartial investigation' of all allegations of torture.
An Evangelical student persecuted at school
Protest letter to the Minister of Education
Liberty Institute (17.03.2001)/ HRWF International Secretariat (19.03.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net .
To Mr. A. Kartozia, Minister of Education of Georgia
and human rights organisations
from Vasil Basishvili,
10-4 form,
Secondary School No. 173,
Gldani district,
Tbilisi
REQUEST
Because of my religious confession, which is Evangelical, I suffer from general aggression of my schoolteachers and classmates: derision, beating, bullying and utterances like "You devil incamate, sectarian, you may complain to whoever you like, everybody will justify us." Since my mother discussed the problem with the head of our school, Mrs. Julie Karchava, the aggression has not decreased; just the opposite, it has increased. Shortly about the latest events:
On 8 December, my classmates factually tried to make me give up my faith. When I refused, they beat and insulted me, set a knife against and even scratched my throat. On 22 December, as a result of inaction of the school direction, I was bullied and beaten by a billet, with my form-mistress's perfect knowledge. Since 6 February, 2001, a series of deriding, coursing and baiting started.
On 7 February, the head of studies, Ms. Mzia Giorgobiani, threatened me in the room of the head of school: "He'd better leave this school for good, for I have the right to send him down... I'll check up his knowledge... Now he'll see what mark I'll give him... You may complain to whoever you like..." The form-mistress threatened me, too: "You liar, sectarian... I'll tell wherever that you've not been beaten..."
On 8 February the form-mistress, Ms. Tsitso Neparidze, damned "sectarians" at a lesson in a class, factually inciting the schoolchildren against me. Our English teacher, Ms. Louisa Mekhrishvili, used to go to my father's work place, insult him because of my faith, using the following words: "You are insane" and so on, and incite him against me.
The situation became especially heated after the Supreme Court's ruling on Jehovah's Witnesses.
On 2 March 2001, the English teacher Louisa Mekhrichvili announced to 5th-formers, "If some of you are Evangelic or Jehovah's Witnesses, we'll slay you... I am a Basilist."
The form-mistress Tsitso Neparidze announces at class in exultant tones: "Orthodox faith has triumphed!" After that, insults, loathing and bullying started with a new force; I felt that they will stop at nothing, even at my physical liquidation.
In fact, I am not able to go on with my learning because of the opposition of a group of religiously inspired teachers and schoolmates incited by them; not only can I receive no education, but my very life is in danger.
I ask you to take measures to stop the hostility of religiously-minded teachers of School No. 173 and restore my rights.
V. Basishvili 10 March, 2001
I agree with this letter. I agree that his lawful rights are violated and ask you to give my son a possibility to continue his learning and restore his rights.
Mother: N. Basiashvili
We believe that the syndrome of impunity of religious persecutions is taking roots in Georgia; particularly, as the biasness of the court proceedings in the case of Evangelical Church vs. Gldani police and that of Jehovah's Witnesses' registration wrongly oriented the public opinion.
We are protesting against the unlawful persecution of the member of the Evangelical Church "Madli", V. Basilishvili; we lay the blame for that, first of all, on the force agencies, judicial institutions, the Office of Public Prosecutor and, consequently, on their product -- totalitarian religiously-minded teachers.
Respectfully yours,
Zaal and Nino Tkeshelashvili
16 March, 2001
Tel.: 58-88-56
Priest's 'trail of terror' continues
Watch Tower Website (16.03.2001)/ HRWF (19.03.2001) Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - Today, renegade priest Vasili Mkalavishvili and a mob of his followers seized several thousand Bible-based brochures from a printery located in the Samto Chemical building in Tbilisi and burnt them publicly outside the building. As reported by Rustavi 2 TV, police stood by and watched, making no attempt to intervene. Only after the literature was completely burned did police alert the fire department.
That same evening, in a live television broadcast Mkalavishvili renewed his threats of violence against Baptists, Jehovah's Witnesses and other religious minorities.
This latest act in Mkalavishvili's ongoing campaign of terror comes on the heels of a published Supreme Court addition to its 22 February 2001 ruling about Jehovah's Witnesses. The Court stated:
"The Supreme Court condemns such acts and other expressions of religious extremism and intolerance. The Supreme Court appeals to law enforcement structures to take appropriate measures against those who believe themselves to be above the law and because of their religious motives, make their own "justice". Such acts are not only illegal, but they also create a serious danger for the public and the State."
"This man has acted with complete impunity from the Police and the Prosecutor's Office for a year and a half now," stated Mamuka Chabashvili, lawyer for Jehovah's Witnesses. "We hope that they will take the latest words of the Supreme Court seriously."
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Attack on central Baptist church
by Lorna Howard
Keston News Service (15.03.2001) / HRWF International Secretariat (16.03.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: Late last night (14 March) five men broke into the central Baptist church in the Georgian capital Tbilisi, tied up the night-watchmen and forced their way, using a blowtorch, into the room where all the church's valuables were kept in a safe, Bishop Malkhaz Songulashvili of the Georgian Baptist church told Keston News Service today (15 March). 'They took everything, leaving the church without a penny'. As well as the usual funds for the needs of the church, there was money for aid to refugees, and extra donations for forthcoming Easter celebrations.
Deputy head of the Georgian Bible Society Avtandil Guruli, a member of the church, told Keston by telephone from Tbilisi on 15 March that he had been called to the church first thing in the morning by Baptist Union accountant Esma Mazmishvili, who had arrived at her office at the church to find a scene of chaos. The two elderly night-watchmen, Anzor Shermadini and an unnamed colleague, were so shocked by the attack that they had been unable to leave the building. They told how two men had come to the church at about 22.30, offering printing services for the church. While they engaged the night-watchmen in conversation, two armed men arrived, who threatened the watchmen with pistols and tied them up. A fifth man, wearing a mask, brought cutting equipment, and they proceeded to break open the lock of the iron door leading to the accountant's office, smash the wooden door behind it and cut into the safe. 'They overturned everything,' Guruli said, 'There were documents lying all over the place and it was impossible to tell if any had been taken.'
Asked whether they notified the police, Guruli said that at that very moment (while he was speaking to Keston) Mazmishvili was at the local police station giving her statement. It was little more than a formality, though: 'I have no hope that the culprits will be found,' he said.
It is unclear who the attackers were, but this is the third action in recent weeks against the Baptist church and organisations - the Bible Society and an old people's home under construction - associated with it. (see KNS 14 March and 9 February). The fact that a blow-torch was used gives rise to speculation, Bishop Songulashvili said, that the men are associated with defrocked Orthodox priest Basil Mkalavishvili, who took part in an attack in January on the offices of the Tbilisi newspaper Resonance, which had published materials about the violence Mkalavishvili and his supporters employ. They used a blowtorch then to seal the iron of the office door so that no-one could enter, and spoke publicly about the attack afterwards.
Bishop Songulashvili, on study leave in Great Britain, has requested that the Archbishop of Canterbury appeal to the Catholicos-Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church, who so far has not officially condemned the violent campaign against religious minorities.
Keston contacted the Georgian Embassy in London, but was told that the only person who could comment on such matters was Mr Gia, who is away in Georgia until 20 March. They had received no information about the attack on the Baptist church.
Bishop Songulashvili, who is also the head of the Bible Society, plans to return to Georgia immediately, despite the fact that Georgian authorities have not stopped these attacks and there are rumours of threats to his life. 'The fact that no-one has been punished for any of these attacks encourages extremists,' he told Keston.
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Drunken mob attacks Bible Society workers
by Lorna Howard
Keston News Service (14.03.2001)/ HRWF International Secretariat (15.03.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - A lorry transporting books and blankets to the Georgian Bible Society in the capital Tbilisi was ambushed in the evening of Saturday 10 March in the outskirts of the city by a mob of about 60 people, led by defrocked Orthodox priest Vasily Mkalavishvili, Keston News Service has learned. The driver Tenghiz Zaalishvili and three Bible Society workers, Michael Saralishvili, Aleksander Ordzhonokidze and Lado Godsiridze, who had gone to collect the books from the port of Poti, were beaten up, and many of the books destroyed. Local police from the Mtskheta region eventually stopped the violence and took the lorry away; it remains in their custody.
Ramaz Paresashvili, assistant head of the Georgian Bible Society told Keston by telephone from Tbilisi on 13 March that the books were 1870 copies of a Georgian translation of 'Opening up the Bible' by Mary Batchelor. The blankets were a gift from the French Bible Society, intended for distribution to refugees from Abkhazia and Chechnya. The goods had been in Poti for some weeks while all the documents needed to release them from Customs were obtained. Asked how Mkalavishvili knew when the books would be released from Customs, Paresashvili said he thought that the rebel priest must have 'his own people' inside Customs.
Paresashvili quoted Mkalavishvili as saying that 'heretical books must be destroyed . Enemies such as the United States and Europe want to destroy Georgia by means of heretical books, by attacking the soul of the nation, not with guns, as Russia does.'
Chair of the Human Rights Committee of the Georgian Parliament Elena Tevdorarze, asked by Keston on 14 March for her reaction to the attack, said that her committee and the parliament were 'outraged' by the vandalism and the attack on the men. 'It is comparable to the actions of the Inquisition, or the Ku Klux Klan. The government and the security authorities must take serious measures against the activities of Vasily Mkalavishvili; unfortunately the police are often passive bystanders, and neglect the rights of our citizens.'
Keston has learned from other Georgian sources who do not wish to be named that there are well-founded fears that Mkalavishvili's actions, if unchecked, may result in death.
Chair of Georgian State Security Rusudan Beridze told Keston by telephone on 14 March that she was fully in touch with the situation, as the Bible Society had informed her of the attack and held a press conference about it on 13 March, information from which had been published in the Georgian media. She had had a meeting with Mkalavishvili and his followers on 13 March to hear their side of the story. Asked what measures could be taken to stop lawbreaking of this kind, she said that there was an article in the Georgian criminal code which outlaws 'hooliganism', and a case against Mkalavishvili could be brought to the Procuracy.
This attack is the latest in the campaign of terror waged by Vasily Mkalavishvili and his supporters against religious minorities, including Jehovah's Witnesses, Baptists and Pentecostals (see KNS 9 Feb 2001). Human rights activists, religious minority leaders and Georgia's ombudsman have condemned the impunity he enjoys and have called for urgent action by the authorities.
Religious Violence: Joint Declaration of Non-governmental Human Rights Organizations
Liberty Institute (13.03.2001) / HRWF International Secretariat (14.03.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - On March 10, 2001 the extremist group of Basil Mkalavishvili attacked three members of the Baptist Church and took off their religious literature near Mtskheta. The struggle continued at the Mtkheta police station, where the religious literature was confiscated on Mkalavishvili's request. On March 5-6, n Sachkhere district a mob encouraged by the decision of the Supreme Court and led by orthodox priest during two days was attacking Jehovah's Witnesses, beating them, rushing in and robbing their houses, cars, and destroying their literature with the silent consent of the local mayor, police and procurator's officials.
This new wave of violence was inspired by recent decision of the Supreme Court to abolish "Jehovah's Witnesses" organizations. Latest events prove that decision of the Supreme Court not only harshly violates Article 9, 19 and 26 of Georgian Constitution, but also arouse the most feral mob instincts. Created terrible precedent endangers freedom of religion and association of all citizens of Georgia beside of their religious affiliation.
We are especially indignant that the very branch of government, which is designated to defend human rights and minorities, violates them. In this case violation has the most cynical nature, because court rules in the name of law, justice and state. If unlawful actions of any policeman, public group or state agency are considered just a particular violation of law, the Supreme Court decisions legitimize such human rights violations and no other state institution can review them.
The chairman of the Supreme Court Lado Chanturia, during the meeting with non-governmental organization and journalists, tried to justify abolition "Jehovah's Witnesses" organizations and stated that the only task of the European Court of Human Rights is to provide last resort remedy in case of human rights violations.. He quoted example of France, which, as chairman of the Supreme Court said, annually loses 20-30 cases in European Court of Human Rights. The cynic character of this statement raises serious doubts that judges were absolutely sure from the beginning that decision was unlawful, but they had political motives for doing that.
When any particular country is unable to defend human rights and minorities with their own internal recourses, whole international community has an obligation to step in and take some action. We should combine our efforts and prevent state from restricting rights of its citizens, massive persecution and harassment of minorities and selective enforcement of law. Shutting one's eyes to frequent human rights violations very often becomes a root for humanitarian catastrophes and rising of man-hating forces.
During last two years we are evidencing massive infringement of freedom of religion and persecution of religious minorities. Government of Georgia is completely unable to protect human rights and minorities. Moreover, violation of human rights takes place with silent consent of state, very often with it's inspiration and sometimes with active participation of state officials, especially those of law enforcement agencies. On the basis of the aforesaid, it should be noted without exaggeration that religious minorities in Georgia face permanent danger, intimidation and terror.
Many religious groups, such as Jehovah's Witnesses, Baptists, Evangelists, Pentecostals, Krishna's Conscious Society, dissenting orthodoxies and others have suffered attacks, persecution, bodily insult and harassment. Frequent pogroms take place in their offices and churches. Their literature, holy objects of worship and other belongings were destroyed. Invasion in private apartments and physical insults of the inhabitants have gained massive character. The most significant pogroms took place in Tbilisi, Marneuli and Zugdidi. Police was not impeding these actions without any reaction or was participating in them, while prosecutors and judges convicted the victims.
Basil Mkalavishvili has openly confirmed on TV that he notifies police and security in advance of caring out his pogroms. Deputy Minister of State Security declared on Parliamentary hearing that state should restrict the activities of non-traditional religious sects. Similar declarations have been made by other senior government officials C for example, Tbilisi police chief Soso Alavidze.
The constitution guaranteed independence of judiciary only because that the latter could have set the law above government and majority opinion. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court often fails this exam. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court was not able to pass these exams. Exams were not passed by young Georgian state, which affirms its respect to human rights values in Constitution. In this situation any kind of support from international community and all people of good will has vital importance not only for persecuted minorities but also for the future of rule of law and democracy in Georgia.
Association Law and Freedom
Atlantic Counsil of Georgia
Bleak See Media Institute
Caucasian House
Forensic Examinations Foundation
Former Polotical Prisoners for Human Rights
Georgian Young Lawyers Association
Human Rights Center
Human Rights Group of Caucasian Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development
Independent Journalist's Club
International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy
Landowners Rights Protection Association
Liberti Institute
Tbilisi Press Club
Transparency International C Georgia
Annex
Eventually, during last few months there are number of facts of human rights violations on which state did not respond. That's why only incomplete list of human rights violation facts is attached to declaration.
On September 3, 2000 with participation of law-enforcing agencies and use of guns meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses has been devastated, where cigarette has been extinguished on the forehead of the chair of the meeting, furniture has been destroyed, and people have been beaten. Scared people escaped from the window.
On September 8 police armed with wood sticks devastated the congress of Jehovah's Witnesses. Devastation carried extremely cruel character. Several bombs were exploded on the meeting. The podium has been burnt, furniture has been destroyed, and many Jehovah's Witnesses have been appropriated of their personal belongings. The demonstration has been planned and organized by the Mayor and police of Zugdidi.
On September 9th Tianeti regional police has devastated the pray site of Baptist-Evangelists, podium has been destroyed, the cross has been torn down, chairs and books were taken to police. Head of police Giuri Gigauri threatened Priest Otar Kalatozishvili with arrest in case of conduct of religious services.
Police has interfered with lawful religious meeting of Evangelists in Tbilisi, Gldani region. During the interference confession and priest were physically insulted. Regional, District and supreme courts have considered this devastation as lawful action.
In Kutaisi traffic police has beaten Jehovah's Witness Vladimer Gabunia. They took his personal belongings and destroyed religious magazines and 2 Bibles. Police threatened Gabunia to throw him in river Rioni and prohibited him to walk in the street.
Police unlawfully deprived almost 80 tones of religious literature from Krishna Conscious Society, out of which most was destroyed.
Police and Customs Service have often unlawfully taken away several tens of tones of religious literature and unlawfully hold literature on border.
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Orthodox parish denied building permission
KESTON NEWS SERVICE (09.03.2001)/ HRWF International Secretariat (12.03.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - Keston News Service has learned that an application for permission to build an Orthodox church outside the Georgian Patriarchate's jurdistiction has been blocked for a year. Officials claim either that all church building needs permission from the Patriarchate or insisted that the parish's site is not suitable. Fears have been expressed that under the concordat between Georgian President Shevardnadze and the Patriarchate, due for parliamentary ratification on 15 March, the Patriarchate will veto all other Orthodox church building.
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Orthodox priests lead mob attacks on Jehovah's Witnesses while police refuse to intervene
Watch Tower (07.03.2001)/ HRWF HRWF International Secretariat (09.03.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net- On March 6, four Orthodox priests led a mob of about 150 men on a violent rampage against Jehovah's Witnesses in the city of Sachkhere, western Georgia.
According to Alexi Ichkitidze, one of Jehovah's Witnesses living in Sachkhere, "A mob led by the priest Avto Tshabadze and fellow priest Bartholomew of the Chorvila parish, invaded my home. They viciously assaulted me and a visiting friend, Savle Gotsadze. Then they savagely beat my wife, Nana."
The mob then targeted an adjacent apartment on the same property, where religious meetings are held. They broke in through a window, looted the premises and burned the religious literature from the apartment.
The priest-led mob went on a rampage through the city. They found a local Witness at his workplace and beat him. Witness passengers in a car were able to escape on foot as the mob damaged and looted the vehicle.
This is the second day of such attacks by the same four Orthodox priests with Avto Tshabadze in the lead. Yesterday, on March 5, they led a mob of about 20 men in an attack on Jehovah's Witnesses meeting on private property.Four Witnesses were physically assaulted on that occasion.
Alerted to these attacks, the mayor and local police refused to intervene. Armiran Macharashvil, the local deputy police chief, and A.Tsutskiridze, the local prosecutor, threatened that there would be further attacks. Even though this and similar recent attacks on Jehovah's Witnesses were brought to the attention of the authorities, no one has been arrested for viciously assaulting members of this religious group.
On February 22, the Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that Jehovah's Witnesses are not banned in Georgia and are entitled to the constitutional right to hold religious services and import their literature.
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Mob attacks Jehovahs Witnesses after Supreme Court Ruling
HRWF (02.03.2001)/ Website http://www.hrwf.net C Email info@hrwf.net Five days after the Georgian Supreme Court revoked the registration of Jehovahs Witnesses, defrocked Orthodox priest, Vasili Mkalavishvili, and his followers attacked a group of families of Jehovahs Witnesses meeting in a private home for Bible study.
"The police assisted the mob," stated Rudolf Mikirtumov, who sustained injuries in the attack. One of the police climbed the fence, and when the Witnesses were about to prevent them from getting over the fence, one pulled out his badge and then jumped over. He then proceeded to open the locked gate from the inside, allowing the mob to enter.
"The mob forced their way into the private residence. A police officer showed his badge and then opened the gate for the extremists as they surged into the yard. Then women, children and the elderly were forced to flee the attackers. The police shouted verbal abuses, after which the mob looted the residential premises."
The attack comes on the heels of the Supreme Court decision which had been criticized by many as a license to persecute religious minorities. "Mkalavishvili's group and other extremists could perceive the ruling as a signal on the part of the State that their position is right, and we will once again see beatings on the street," stated Parliamentarian Koba Davitashvili shortly after the court announced its ruling.
Several government officials who should be taking the lead in protecting the rights of citizens and minorities were interviewed on TV. Their embarrassed answers showed that the government does not seriously want to take any measures and that they themselves have no intention of fulfilling the specific duties of the offices they hold.
Contact numbers in Georgia: Telephone: +995 (32) 76-23-59 Fax: +995 (32) 76-95-98
Jehovahs Witnesses considering appeal to European Court
HRWF International Secretariat (23.02.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - On 22 February, the Supreme Court announced its decision to dissolve two organizations registered on behalf of Jehovahs Witnesses. With regard to this judgement, Minister of Justice Mikhail Saakashvili was quoted as saying : "From a legal standpoint the decision is very doubtful." He added, "I dont think its the most successful page in the history of the Supreme Court."
Jehovahs Witnesses are considering an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.
International human rights lawyer John Burns declared in an interview following the decision: "The European Convention on Human Rights, European Court precedent and Georgias international law commitments all support the right of association, which includes the right of religious communities to use legal entities. The Supreme Court is attempting to remove that right in violation of the European Convention and Georgias own Constitution."
Although the Court stated emphatically that this ruling does not mean that the religious activity of Jehovahs Witnesses has been declared illegal, Mamuka Chabashvili, lawyer for the Witnesses, expressed concern that some may misinterpret the Supreme Court decision. "The decision is based on a technicality of law regarding registration. Jehovahs Witnesses are not banned. Under the Constitution of Georgia, they have the right to hold meetings and import religious literature. Anyone interfering with those rights will be liable to prosecution."
Supreme Court to render decision in Jehovahs Witnesses case
on Thursday, February 22
HRWF (21.02.2001) HRWF International Secretariat (21.02.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - On Tuesday, February 20, the Supreme Court of Georgia heard concluding submissions in the appeal case regarding the legal registration of Jehovahs Witnesses. The Chairman of the Court announced they will release their decision in open court on Thursday, February 22.
The appeal arose from the decision of the Appeal Court of Tbilisi on June 26, 2000 to revoke the legal registration of Jehovahs Witnesses. It was based on the application of Georgian Parliament member Guram Sharadze. In argument before the Supreme Court, Sharadze pretended that he was not asking that the religion be banned, only that their legal registration be annulled. However, his lawyer admitted he had influenced authorities in the cities of Zugdidi and Marneuli to prevent the holding of two conventions of Jehovahs Witnesses last September. This resulted in mob violence against Witnesses and looting of their personal property and even homes.
"Mr. Sharadze continues to play with words," stated Mamuka Chabashvili, lawyer for Jehovahs Witnesses. "His application before the court and his conduct to date show his real motive is to ban Jehovahs Witnesses in Georgia. There is no basis in law or fact for the revocation of the legal registration. We hope the Supreme Court will apply the Georgian Constitution and condemn the religious intolerance and severe persecution suffered by Jehovahs Witnesses during the last year."
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The European Union steps up its activities in Georgia
HRWF International Secretariat (15.02.2001) C Website http://www.hrwf.net C Email: info@hrwf.net - In the wake of the introduction of new visa requirements between Russia and Georgia, the European Parliament passed a resolution on greater European Union involvement in the South Caucasian Republic. A future rapprochement between Georgia and the European Union is expected to contribute to the political and economic development of the country as well as to the stability of the entire region of the Caucasus.
In last December, Russia imposed new visa requirements on Georgia under the pretext of preventing the infiltration of Chechen rebels through the Georgian-Russian border. The new visa requirements, however, do not apply to residents of the secessionist Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and are considered as a challenge to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia.
Following these events, the European Parliament stepped up its discussions on a future rapprochement between Georgia and the European Union and called on :
- - the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union to support actively all efforts to bring about a political settlement to the conflicts in the South-Ossetia/ Tskhinvali Region and Abkhazia;
- - the Council to take into account the possibility of appointing a Special Envoy for the Caucasus in order to increase the visibility of the European Union in the region and facilitate the dialogue between all parties to the ongoing conflicts.
Human Rights Without Frontiers has been informed that a European Union delegation prepares its mission to the country for the second half of this February. The missions mandate is expected to be wide-ranging to cover security and conflict resolution issues as well as study of Georgias human rights record.
Georgias obligations as a member of the Council of Europe and its commitments under the EU-Georgia Partnership and Cooperation Agreement envisage the need for Georgia to reinforce its democratic institutions and to consolidate respect for human rights, including the right to freedom of religion, belief and conscience. Human Rights Without Frontiers was informed that this issue was raised during the EU-Georgia Cooperation Council last October and it is on the agenda of the European Union delegation visit to Tbilisi later this month. Special attention should be focused on:
- - Repeated acts of violence and intimidation against members of several religious minorities by a Orthodox group led by a renegate priest;
- - The proposed amendment to Georgias Constitution granting the Orthodox Church the status of State Church that will create a three-tiered system and will be discriminatory towards historical non-Orthodox religions and non-traditional religions in general.
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Missing petition returned by prosecutors office
to be submitted to President Shevardnadze
Watch Tower Tbilisi (13.02.2001)/ HRWF International Secretariat (14.02.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - Today, a petition signed by 133,182 citizens of Georgia is finally to be submitted to President Eduard Shevardnadze. It calls for the protection of all citizens, including minority groups, from individual and mob attacks. More than 200,000 tracts had been distributed informing the public about cases of the ongoing unpunished violence. What prompted the petition was the violence that defrocked priest Vasili Mkalavishvili and his followers have carried out against Jehovahs Witnesses over the past year and a half. This large number of signatures indicates that many Georgians are appalled by the use of violence against any minority in Georgia.
On February 6, 2001, 12 of 14 volumes of signatures were returned to the Witnesses by the prosecutors office. Apparently, to prevent the petition from being submitted to Shevardnadze, the 12 volumes had been illegally taken from the Office of the Ombudsman on January 22, 2001, during an incident involving Vasili Mkalavishvili and some of his followers. Later that same day, Mkalavishvili and his followers brazenly attacked a congregation of Jehovahs Witnesses in the Svanetisubani region of Tbilisi, assaulting all present, even women, children and the elderly.
The text of the petition calls for the President and Parliament to undertake the following three steps:
1. Publicly ordering law-enforcement officers to protect all citizens, including members of minority groups, from individual and mob attacks.
2. Immediately prosecuting all individuals, including policemen and other State officials, who are known to have organized or participated in violent attacks against Georgian citizens.
3. Publicly assuring people that, in the future, law-enforcement officials and courts shall protect the constitutional rights of Georgian citizens.
Only adult citizens were permitted to sign the petition, and every possible step was taken to ensure that each individual signature was valid and that no individual signed twice. The 133,182 signatures of this petition indicate that the Georgian people anticipate some positive action to end the ongoing violence and to protect justice and freedom.
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Father Basili continues to battle against
Jehovah Believers
"Orthodoxy or Death" is the main slogan of the Gldani parish,
which is considered an outcast church by the Georgian Patriarchy"
By Gia Kandashvili
The Georgian Times (07.02.2001)/ HRWF International Secretariat (08.02.2001)- Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - A leader of the Gldani parish and the most controversial figure in the Tbilisi religious world, father Basili (Vasil Mkalavishvili) summoned his first official press conference after months of ruthless battle against Jehovah Believers and their supporters. "The Jehovah sect has utterly mobilized itself throughout the Georgian land. The sects followers undermine the historical Orthodox Church of Georgia. They even are collecting evidence to make the police detain me," he said at the gathering in the human rights office of Nana Devdariani, an ombudsman of Georgia.
The Georgian Patriarchy banished father Basili from its sanction because of his rebellious behavior three years ago, and since then the maverick priest has founded his own independent parish on the bases of the Gldani church.
"Georgians rejected the true God and they are at the edge of moral and physical destruction. Meanwhile, the Georgian Patriarch fails to remedy the plight. Thats why I have totally rejected the Patriarchy and currently I only adhere to the Greek Orthodox Church. If things change, I would come back," the father told journalists. "Orthodoxy or death" is the main logo of the Gldani parish.
Vasil Mkalavishvili began his crusade against religious sects, and the Jehovah Believers in particular, in the summer of last year, just after the Tbilisi district court revoked the right of registration of the organization. Before that MP Guram Sharadze had not spared any efforts to prove the illegality of the Georgian branch of the Jehovah Believers.
Along with his prime goal, father Basili has fiercely dealt with any supporter of the Jehovah Believers. The Liberty Institution, a western patterned Georgian NGO, which rendered its support the Jehovah Believers, fell under the fire of reprisal of father Basili and his followers. Two members of the Liberty Institution were severely beaten at the court building just at the end of a hearing.
Later, father Basili turned his anger towards the "Resonance" newspaper because of its revealing articles and derisive sketches. Father Basili was blaming the newspaper of betrayal of the very bases of the Georgian orthodoxy. After several preliminary warnings, father Basilis parish welded shut the doors and windows of the "Resonance" editorial building to prevent its employees from entering their workplace. Due to the polices inattentive response to the incident, the Georgian media pointed the finger at law enforcement bodies as a possible patron of father Basili. However, the father did his utmost to deny the allegations.
"I warned the Georgian Patriarchy even in 1992-1993 to prevent mushrooming sects, but they did nothing and now we are reaping the deplorable results. There had been only one married couple of the Jehovah Believers, and just in 1990 the sect counted more than 1500 followers," father Basili said.
He even accused his host, Ms. Devdariani, of fostering the Jehovah Believers. "It does not matter that she has provided her office to us to set the press conference. Nana Devdariani is an enemy of the Georgian nation, because she frequently supports the sect, and the sacrilegious members of the Liberty Institution also very often enjoy her hospitality, " the father said. The Georgian ombudsman responded that she would raise her voice against any kind of discrimination, and it does not matter whose rights are violated.
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Attacks on private meeting places of Jehovah's Witnesses
Violation of freedom of assembly
HRWF International Secretariat (25.01.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - On 22 January, renegate Orthodox priest Mkalavishvili and 50 to 100 of and his followers once more attacked private houses of Jehovah's Witnesses. They were sighted gathering in the Gldani region of Tbilisi. They obtained two buses from a nearby yard and set off. They were next sighted at Abashidze 37 in the Vake region of Tbilisi. They entered the 6th building and started ringing the doorbell and banging on the door of a family of Jehovah's Witnesses where meetings are often conducted. The family phoned the police and within a very short period of time, the police were also banging on the door, as if they had been there all along. The family saw through the peephole that Mkalavishvili and his followers were standing side by side with the police, so they refused to open the door. Eventually the police and Mkalavishvili and his followers left. (Later the police phoned and said, "Why didn't you open? We heard you were having a meeting and we were interested in seeing what was going on.")
At around 7:00 PM that same day, in the Mardjanishvili region of Tbilisi, Mkalavishvili and his followers, without prior permission or invitation, entered through the gate into the courtyard of a fully detached home owned by one of Jehovah's Witnesses, and entered the premises without knocking or any kind of warning. A group of around 70 of Jehovah's Witnesses were conducting a meeting there. Mkalavishvili and his bodyguard, Petre, a student of karate, forced their way to the front of the meeting, despite requests from the one conducting the meeting, Zviad Dzadzamia, not to frighten the women and the children present. Mkalavishvili began screaming phrases such as, "What gives you the right!" and "I'll lead you to my religion." Then, in what appears to be a prearranged signal, Mkalavishvili said, "Don't beat them." At this, all his followers began beating those in attendance. All of Jehovah's Witnesses present were punched with closed fists, kicked, and beaten with wooden and even iron crosses. The Witnesses did not retaliate. They simply attempted to cover their faces with their arms. One of the perpetrators was wielding a large cross, made of 4 cm x 8 cm wood, and 1 and a half meters longs, with a 1 meter crossbeam. He struck one of the victims so hard on the head that the crossbeam broke off. Another of the perpetrators, approximately 30 years old, took a large Georgian Bible, and brought it down over a twelve year old boy's head with all his might. A fourteen year old boy was punched and kicked repeatedly by two adult men. Elderly men and women were beaten without exception. Some of the victims were thrown into a dark room and beaten severely by a group of the perpetrators. Mkalavishvili personally assaulted Aleksandre Barnabishvili and yelled to his huge bodyguard, Petre, "He's the head of this group." Petre, who is at least 2 meters tall and weighs approximately 150 kilograms, grabbed Barnabishvili by his tie and lifted him off the ground and said, "Take him outside and work him over." He then attempted to throw him outside, but the tie tore in two. Tamazi Nachkebia, one of the victims, fled the house in an effort to get to the police station and alert the police. He was caught by the perpetrators and was beaten until his mouth was full of blood. He experienced nausea and vomited. The followers of Mkalavishvili then forced the victims to run a gauntlet as they beat them with their fists and crosses. As they left the building and fled onto the street, they were again beaten by a group of Mkalavishvili's followers outside. Suddenly, as if they had been warned, some of Mkalavishvili's followers yelled, "Let's go!" They left in a chaotic panic as if fleeing something. Mkalavishvili and his bodyguard, Petre, had already left the scene earlier.
The police, having been alerted, finally came. They called the victims "Satanists" and "Traitors of their forefathers." The local inspector, Omar Gochishvili, said, "I warned you." (On January 4, 2001, Omar Gochishvili had gone to the residence of one of Jehovah's Witnesses and demanded to see papers permitting them to hold meetings. When he was told that the Constitution of Georgia guarantees this right, he cursed President Shevardnadze and the Patriarch of Georgia using obscene speech, and demanded to see papers. Eventually he left.) The victims then went to the police station where they filed statements. Some of the victims then returned to the house. The police then came to the house and looked around. Five minutes later they returned once again and requested the victims not to leave as the procurator was coming. The procurator did not come, but the Chief of Police and his Deputy came. They were much kinder and requested that the victims repeat everything in detail and, having obtained the needed information, they issued three of the victims special documents enabling them to receive an official medical examination for the purpose of establishing evidence of assault.
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Religious extremists disrupt press conference where petition was presented to Office of President Shevardnadze
HRWF (22.01.2001) Email info@hrwf.net C Website http://www.hrwf.net - On January 22, 2001 renegade priest Vasili Mkalavishvili and 10 of his supporters burst into the Georgian Ombudsmans office during a press conference held to formally receive the petition signed in two weeks time by 133,162 Georgians. The petition protested the ongoing mob violence against members and property of religious minorities in Georgia. The priest and his hooligans seized 12 of 14 volumes of the petition, each one containing 10,000 signatures. When Tamara Shamil, from the Caucasian Institute for Peace and Democracy, tried to protect the petition, she was physically assaulted by the priests thugs. A representative of the American embassy who stood watching the events was quoted as saying ? This is just unbelievable ! ?. UK Embassy and the Orthodox Patriarchy had also sent a representative to the press conference. The latter commented ? This is an act of an abnormal man ? and warned that these extremists could start killing people.
The petition addressed to President and the Georgian Parliament, which protests the persistent violence targeting religious minorities, requests the Georgian government to :
- - publicly order law enforcement officers to protect all citizens, including members of religious minority groups, from individual and mob attacks ;
- - immediately prosecute all known individuals, including policemen and other State officials, who have organized or participated in violent attacks against Georgian citizens ;
- - publicly assure Georgian citizens that law enforcement officials and courts shall protect their constitutional rights.
The signatures came from individuals representing all regions of Georgia, including the farthest regions of Adjara and Svaneti. In areas of Marneuli and Zugdidi, where many citizens were victimized, local residents were particularly enthusiastic about signing the petition. Jehovahs Witnesses initiated the petition as they have been particular targets. The majority who signed the petition, however, were of the Orthodox faith.
? This is Georgias answer to the attempt by a few extremists to betray our 3,000 year old tradition of tolerance, ? stated Levani Ramishvili, spokesman for the Liberty Institute. ? Georgians respect human rights. They defend neighbours and friends who have a different faith. It is a Christian value to love ones neighbour as yourself. ?
The petition, signed by adult citizens of Georgia, consists of 13 volumes of pages containing 10,000 signatures, and a 14th volume of 3,162 signatures.
In Strasbourg, a delegation of the the European Association of Jehovahs Witnesses for Protection of Religious Freedom, addressed an urgent call to Mr Alvaro Gil-Robles, Human Rights Commissioner at the Council of Europe, so that he may use all means available to encourage Georgia to abide by its obligations with the Council of Europe which include the protection of the fundamental freedoms and the exercise of the freedom of religion.
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Supreme Court Directs Georgian Parliament Member to Review Documents Showing Persecution of Jehovahs Witnesses
Georgia office of Jehovah's Witnesses (16.01.2001)/ HRWF International Secretariat (17.01.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - On January 17, 2001 the Supreme Court of Georgia adjourned its appeal hearing on the registration of two associations of Jehovahs Witnesses until February 20, 2001. After listening to submissions by attorneys for Jehovahs Witnesses, the Supreme Court told Georgian Parliament Member Guram Sharadze and his lawyer to carefully review appellants case. This includes evidence linking ongoing mob violence against Jehovahs Witnesses with Sharadzes campaign to ban the religious minority in Georgia.
Sharadzes attorney objected, this has nothing to do with us or our case. Chairman of the Court Murman Tsikvadze disagreed noting that the appeal raised issues that must be considered in full context. Attorneys for Jehovahs Witnesses had argued the appeal was directly linked to rights guaranteed in the Georgian Constitution and European Convention of Human Rights.
On June 26, 2000, the Tbilisi Regional Court revoked the legal status of Jehovahs Witnesses in Georgia. The religious minority immediately appealed to the Supreme Court. During the past several months, however, there have been persistent violent attacks of Jehovahs Witnesses by mobs and hooligans. The international community. including representatives of the European Union, United States and Great Britain have protested the violence.
At the Supreme Court hearing, a group of 120 religious extremists paraded on the street outside the Supreme Court, together with crosses, flags and icons. Armed police prevented them from entering and disrupting the proceeding. The same extremists had previously assaulted attorneys, journalists and observers in lower courts.
"We are disappointed that we did not get a final decision today" stated Mamuka Chabashvili, lawyer for Jehovahs Witnesses. "All our documents have been available and could have been reviewed by Mr. Sharadze and his lawyer since at least December 15. It appears the Supreme Court is cautious and wants to give them every opportunity to answer. We will be back on February 20."
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Harassment of Jehovahs Witnesses continues
Freedom of assembly barred
HRWF (16.01.2001)/ Website http://www.hrwf.net C Email info@hrwf.net - On the eve of the decision of the Supreme Court to cancel or to uphold the legal registration of Jehovahs Witnesses, harassment of this minority group by extreme right, nationalistic is increasing steadily.
On January 4, 2001 Father Mkalavishvili, a defrocked priest of the Orthodox Church, and a few female parishioners went to the home of Ketevan Sekhniashvili and Tina Burduli, at 9 Verkhana Alley, in Tbilisi where meetings of Jehovahs Witnesses are held. They pressed them to stop holding meetings there and threatened them to come back if they did not.
In the evening, a group of Father Mkalavishvilis followers, went to the home of Mikirtumov at 20 Pochtovaya Street, in Tbilisi with the same claims and the same threats. In order to identify Orthodox in the neighbourhood who might have become Jehovahs Witnesses, they forced them to cross themselves.
On January 6, at about noon, two police officers, the area constable Omar Gochiashvili and his assistant, interrupted a meeting of Jehovahs Witnesses held at 9 Verkhana Alley. They said they could not stand Jehovahs Witnesses and required a legal document allowing them to hold religious meetings.
Media coverage
In the last few months, the tension around Jehovahs Witnesses C but also the Pentecostals - has dramatically increased. This was also reflected in a number of interviews broadcast by various TV channels after the 20 December 2000 Supreme Court hearing :
TV Program " Kavkasia " (20 December 2000, 10 p.m.) : MP Guram Sharadze threatened customs officials that had blocked the import of JW literature and was quoted as saying " We had many documents here, including one where one of the new heads of the Georgian Customs Department, Mr Vazha Kapanadze, has already cleared Witnesses literature through customs without any legal right. "
TV Program " 9 canal " (21 December 2000, 8.30 p.m.) : Controversy about the (German) leader of Jehovahs Witnesses in Georgia :
Journalist : Today, the leader of Jehovahs Witnesses, Arnold Tngler, who was expelled from Georgia for visa problems, came to court.
MP Guram Sharadze : How could Mr. Tungler, who was expelled from Georgia, enter Georgia and attend the court case today ? Wherever he was, he traveled all around the world, to Georgian Consulate in Belgium as well, then he flew to Moscow, but could not find a way to enter Georgia.
Arno Tngler : They extended my visa to January 14, and now, of course, since the court case has been postponed, I will need once again an extension of this visa, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has given me confirmation that there will not be any problems with this. As the one who is responsible for defending the interests of the organization, I am obliged to be here during the court hearing.
TV Program " 1SR-1 Stereo " ( 20 December 2000, 7.30 p.m.) :
MP Guram Sharadze was quoted as saying obvious lies about JW stirring up religious intolerance " Of course, they can pray where they want to but why do they struggle against Georgian Orthodox Church ? Why do they burn Georgian churches ? Why do they burn Georgian icons and crosses ? Why do they desecrate Georgian cemeteries ? Go and see what happened in Gori, Kaspi, Tsageri ". (Comment of HRWF : JW did not burn Georgian churches, icons and crosses or desecrate cemeteries).
Interviews in the street :
Journalist : What do you think of JW ?
A man : They should be killed.
Journalist : Why ?
Man : A person who betrays his people should be burned alive.
Another man : Everybody has the right to do whatever he wants. God the Father gave us these rights. I think that no one has the right to go against this.
Teenage girl : I hate these people.
Young man : There is one thing I dont like here. I often come across certain things written (on walls). " Down with Jehovahs Witnesses !". If there is democracy, then everybody has the right to believe, not just in Jehovah, but also in Buddah and other gods.
Women : Everybody has the right to have their own faith and to have their own followers but these people should not be allowed to exist ! "
TV Program " 1 canal " (19 December 2000, 8 p.m.)
Journalist : MP Koba Davitashvili called the unhindered actions and attacks of Mkalavishvili and his followers on various religious confessions existing in Georgia the policy of tacit encouragement from the Government. The Patriarchy should once again explain to the public that Mkalavishvili is not an Orthodox priest and that he is not alone.
MP Koba Davitashvili : I know their position As I already am aware, Mkalavishvili is not acting alone. He has said a few times publicly that all his plans and actions are arranged with the Ministries of Security and Internal Affairs. I was waiting for the reaction from the heads of both ministries. But unfortunately, there were no such statements. And this gives me the basis to suppose that Mkalavishvilis statement is true.
Journalist : These Ministries have declined to comment at this stage, but only at this stage.
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Registration of Jehovahs Witnesses to be upeld or cancelled
HRWF (15.01.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - On January 16, 2001 the Supreme Court will gather again to hold a hearing on the cancellation or upholding of the legal registration of Jehovahs Witnesses.
The decision should have already taken place on December 20, 2000 but the adjournment came only minutes into the hearing in response to the claim of Guliko Gabaidze, attorney for Guram Sharadze, that she had lost her voice due to sickness.
Mamuka Chabashvili, lawyer for Jehovahs Witnesses, expressed disappointment that an adjournment was granted on weak grounds. ? Surely with four months advance notice there is a responsibility on the part of the respondent to come prepared with a replacement attorney. ?
Another member of the appellant legal team, John Burns, expressed his concern for the delay in the resolution of the registration issue : ? Guram Sharadze continues to state publicly that the registrations granted to Jehovahs Witnesses have been annulled and that their meetings and importation of literature are illegal. This is not true. The legal registrations have not been annulled. ?
Historical background
Jehovahs Witnesses have been present in Georgia since 1953. Like other religious minorities in the Soviet Union, they were persecuted and forced to worship in secret. By the 1980s, Jehovahs Witnesses in Georgia included many nationalities : Georgians, Armenians, Abkhas, Ossetians, Russians and Azerbaijanis. As of March 1993, they began to enjoy religious freedom. At present, there are about 15,000 members in Georgia.
On April 17, 1998, the Isani-Samgori District (City) Court, registered the Union of Jehovahs Witnesses in Georgia pursuant to Georgian Civil Code, Article 31.
On June 11, 1998, the Isani-Samgori District Court registered the Representation of the ? Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, USA ? in the Republic of Georgia pursuant to Georgian Civil Code, Article 31.
The respondent C The Political Union of Georgian Citizens, The National Movement ? Georgia Over All ? and its chairman Guram Sharadze, a member of the Georgian Parliament C attacked both Union of Jehovahs Witnesses and Watch Tower Representation on the following grounds : ? The Society is carrying out anti-State, anti-national and anti-Orthodox activity in Georgia. Especially terrifying is the distribution of anti-Orthodox literature, which they print in the Georgian language ; all this is gradually and obviously taking banned contraband literature of an illegal propagandistic nature. ?
Over four days, the trial court heard submissions and evidence from nine witnesses, including cross-examination and expert written opinion from T. Buachidze (Director of the Institute of Philosophy of the Academy of Sciences of Georgia) and E. Kodua (Chairman of the faculty of Sociology of the I. Javakhishvili State University, City of Tbilisi). The trial court found the respondents accusations ? unfounded. ?
The Appeal Chamber reversed the trial court and on June 26, 2000 ordered dissolution of both the Union of Jehovahs Witnesses and Watch Tower Representation because ? there exists no special law in Georgia that regulates religious life. ? However, the Appeal Chamber did not reverse the trial courts findings of fact. Notwithstanding the appeal filed on July 24, 2000, the respondent, his supporters, officials, police and extremists have already acted under the colour of this dissolution order.
Chronology of court proceedings
29 April 1999 : Application filed by plaintiff G. Sharadze.
8 June 1999 : Motion by defendants challenging G. Sharadzes standing (art. 185 Georgian Civil Code). Motion was dismissed by trial judge.
16 June 1999 : Private complaint filed with Appeal Chamber of Regional Court of Tbilisi appealing the dismissal of defendants motion.
26 July 1999 : Appeal Chamber dismisses the privat complaint of defendants.
24 August 1999 : Defendants appeal this decision to the Supreme Court.
17 September 1999 : Supreme Court dismisses defendants appeal.
29 November 1999 : Trial court sends defendants questions and religious literature to panel of experts.
29 February 2000 : Trial Court produces report of the panel of experts.
29 February 2000 : Trial Court dismisses G. Sharadzes application.
28 March 2000 : G. Sharadze appeals decision to the Appeal Chamber of Regional Court of Tbilisi.
23 June 2000 : Sharadzes appeal is heard by Appeal Chamber.
26 June 2000 : Appeal Chamber rules in favor of G. Sharadze and annuls registration of defendant organizations.
24 July 2000 :Defendants appeal to the Supreme Court.
7 August 2000 : Motion filed with Supreme Court asking for confirmation of admissibility of defendants appeal and date of hearing.
8 August 2000 : Order of Supreme Court confirming that defendants appeal will be heard on December 20, 2000.
20 December 2000 : Hearing at the Supreme Court adjourned.
16 January 2001 : New hearing at the Supreme Court.
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Orthodox fanatics oppose construction of Pentecostal building in Tbilisi
HRWF International Secretariat (11.01.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - In Tbilisi, a mob of about a hundred Orthodox fanatics roused by a defrocked priest surrounded the site where a local Pentecostal congregation plans to build a multi-purpose three-storey building, in an effort to prevent the building works.
On December 18, 2000, Father Vassili Mkalashvili leading a group of fanatical Orthodox followers encircled the 5,000 square metre plot of land where builders were going to start digging foundations. He warned them that they were building a satanist house and that they had better stop their work. The fence was daubed with graffiti, such as ? Baptists out ! ? or ? We will never let you build a satanist house ?. The Pentecostals building will cost about 1 million lari (about $500,000) and will be partly paid for by American Assemblies of God. In a statement to Compass Direct, Pastor Oleg Khubashvili explained that ? Father Vassili is supported by prominent parliamentarians such as Guram Sharadze, a populist and nationalistic right-wing extremist, and by the Ministry of Interior. His demonstration was not authorized and was only a warning to us. He said that next time he would destroy and loot our building. ?. In conclusion he asked, ?What kind religious freedom do we enjoy if we cannot even build premises for our meetings ??
It is not the first time that Pentecostals in Tbilisi have been targeted by hostile groups. On 29 August 1999, seventy plainclothed and uniformed policemen disrupted a meeting of 400 and destroyed religious items used in worship.
Until a few years ago, Pentecostals met in private homes or in the Palace of Culture for their Sunday religious service, but when their congregations started to increase dramatically another solution had to be found. The Church of the Evangelical Faith, which Pastor Oleg Khubashvili was in charge of, envisaged buying a plot of land so as to construct a building that could accommodate offices and rooms to conduct religious education for young people and adults. They applied for, and received, the necessary building permits from the relevant authorities. In the future, they plan to build a place of worship.
The Georgian Pentecostal community numbers about 5,000 members (70 congregations). In Tbilisi, there are five congregations, three Georgian-speaking (about 800 followers), one Russian-speaking and one Armenian-speaking (both about 250 followers).
Oleg Khubashvili found God while he was serving in the army. His father converted to Christianity after he had been healed from a serious illness by a Pentecostal pastor. When Oleg heard that and read the Bible his parents had sent him in his barracks, he became a Christian.
Repeated Attacks on Jehovahs Witnesses
For fifteen months, Jehovahs Witnesses have been the targets of repeated violent attacks : disruption of assemblies, beatings, destruction of religious literature by fire, looting and arson of a meeting place, etc.
On December 19, 2000, about a hundred followers of Father Vassili Mkalashvili, a defrocked Orthodox priest, intimidated two families of Jehovahs Witnesses by marching around their houses where a meeting was to be conducted.
They first attempted to forcefully enter the home of Guram Markozashvili at 21 Zigzagi Street but he happened to be away from home at that time. His children, who were home, did not open the door and after a few failed attempts, the followers of V. Mkalavishvili decided to leave. Upon meeting G. Markozashvili, the owner of the home, along the road, they assaulted him physically and and tried to force him to sign a document stating that meetings of congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses would no longer be conducted in his home. As usual, the police officers watched the turn of events without interfering.
On that same day a group of around a hundred followers of V. Mkalavishvili tried to disturb a meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses taking place at 19 Knovela St. The attackers attempted to forcefully enter the building and, using threats and verbal abuse, demanded that the literature be brought out and burned by the Jehovah's Witnessses themselves. That tense situation lasted for about an hour but the aggressors failed to enter the building and finally left.
On December 26, 2000 a small group of followers of V. Mkalavishvili once again came to the home of G. Markozashvili. They demanded to speak with him but he was not at home. They then threatened the children with cutting them up into little pieces. The children locked themselves in their house and waited for their father. As soon as he knew about the attack, G. Markozashvili went back home along with some police officers. In the meantime, the mob had left and the officers got angry because they had come in vain. They warned G. Markozashvili that his children would be killed if he went on holding meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses in his home.
On the same day and for the second time, a group of around a hundred followers of V. Mkalavishvili attacked the house of Jehovah's Witnesses situated at 19 Knoleva St. The aggressors forcibly entered the premises where meetings are usually held, but only the owner, who is not one of Jehovah's Witnesses, was present. They forced him to hand over any Witness literature that he could find and to publicly burn it. They categorically forbade the owner of the apartment to allow Jehovah's Witnesses to hold religious meetings in his home.
The local branch of Jehovahs Witnesses has lodged a complaint against a number of police officers who in the past watched acts of violence without interfering or took sides with the demonstrators in their acts of destruction.
Campaign of protest letters
Please send a fax or an email to the Georgian authorities to ask them to put an end to the acts of violence committed by followers of Father Mkalavishvili against members of minority religions. That Orthodox priest is obviously supported by the Ministry of Interior and the police.
Head of Staff of the Parliament.
Tel: (995-32) 93-51-13
E-Mail:hdstaff@parliament.ge
Minister of Interior Kakha Targamadze
Tel. 995 32 99-62-96, 98-60-91, ; Fax: 995 32 986532
Address: 10 Didi kheivani str, 380014, Tbilisi, Georgia
Minister of State Security Vakhtang Kutateladze
Tel. 995 32 92-23-15, 92-57-84, ; Fax: 995 32 93-27-91
Address: 4 April 9 str, 380008, Tbilisi, Georgia
Assistant to the President of Georgia on National Security - Nugzar Sajaia
Tel.: 995 32 93-23022; 98-99-72, Fax: 995 32 931542.
Adeishvili Zurab, Member of Parliament
Chairman of the Subcommittee on Legal and Administrative Reforms;
Address: Parliament of Georgia, 8, Rustaveli Ave, 380018, Tbilisi, Georgia;
Phone: (995 32) 99-85-28;
Public Prosecutor General: Jamlet Babilashvili
Tel. 995 32 99-55-57, 995 32 93-29-68, 995 32 99-06-68, Fax: 995 32 982170
Address: 24 Gorgasali str, 380033, Tbilisi, Georgia
Minister: Mikheil Saakashvili
Tel. 995 32 93-27-21, Fax: 995 32 930225
Address: 19 Griboedov str, 380008, Tbilisi, Georgia;
Head of the State Chancellery - Petre Mamradze
Tel.: 995 32 99-96-30; 995 32 99-74-75.
Fax: 995 32 99-96-30.
Deputy State Minister - Zaza Shengelia
Tel.: 995 32 93-50-33; 995 32 99-08-85.
Fax: 995 32 98-97-10.
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Draft amendment to the Constitution threatens minority religions
Orthodox Church to become a State Church
HRWF International Secretariat (08.01.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net -Email: info@hrwf.net - President Eduard Shevardnadze is on the point of signing a draft amendment to the constitution granting the status of State Church to the Orthodox Church and paving the way to a concordat between them and the State. The draft amendment (*) contains no provisions on possible agreements between the State and other religions.
Public debate on this issue will be opened with the presidential signature and then will continue for one month. The parliament will then reexamine the draft amendment in the light of the proposals made during the public discussion and vote on the constitutional amendment.
Interviewed by Human Rights Without Frontiers in Tbilisi, Mrs Elene Tevdoradze, chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for Human Rights, said : "I am opposed to such an amendment because it discriminates against non-Orthodox religions". She also added "There are currently discussions about the possibility of historical religions being recognized as institutions under public law but cults will never be granted that status".
Mr Zaza Gachechiladze, editor-in-chief of the Georgian Times, told Human Rights Without Frontiers that "Georgia has been a full member of the Council of Europe since April 1999 and has ratified international covenants guaranteeing freedom of religion but Georgian society is not yet ready to accept religious pluralism and needs to be educated. Since the collapse of communism, a lot of people have been disoriented : many take refuge in old Orthodox values that no longer fit in with modern society while others follow new religious movements ".
Under cover of anonymity, some Western European officials based in Tbilisi told Human Rights Without Frontiers that for the Orthodox Church the concordat is a weapon aimed at thwarting the activities of non-traditional religions in Georgia. A member of the Georgian Parliament who did not wish to be named also said that Eduard Shevardnadze had converted to Orthodoxy and personally wanted the unique role of the Orthodox Church in the national history to be recognized and enshrined in the constitution.
The current constitution already provides in art. 9 that "The state recognises the special importance of the Georgian Orthodox Church in Georgian history but simultaneously declares complete freedom of religious beliefs and confessions, as well as independence of the church from the state". Due to the lack of specific religious legislation, the Orthodox hierarchy wants its status to be upgraded and differentiated from other religions. "They really want to get something from the state and the people expect a strong gesture from the government in favour of the Church", most observers of Georgian life told Human Rights Without Frontiers.
Supporters of a secular state in Georgia feel that the separation between State and religions is threatened and are calling upon international organizations such as the OSCE, the Council of Europe and the European Parliament, as well as the US State Department and the US Commission on International Religious Liberty to urgently put Georgias religious policy under scrutiny.
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