State Presents its Apologies to the Religious Minorities

During the meeting with representatives of the religious minorities in Evangelical-Baptist Church on February 18, the State Minister Avtandil Jorbenadze presented apologies of the government on behalf of the President Eduard Shevardnadze for outbreak of violence against religious minorities in the country.

Symbolically, the meeting took place at the congregation where, excommunicated Orthodox priest Basil Mkalavishvili assailed representatives of the various Christian denominations gathered ecumenical prayers on January 24.

“It is to our great regret that violence against religious minorities has reached such a scale. On behalf of the President I would like to express our apology and say that we are ready for cooperation. People of Georgia have always been very tolerant towards other religions,” State Minister Avtandil Jorbenadze told representatives of the Christian churches during the meeting on February 18.

After the meeting, participants lit the candles of peace. Representatives of the religious minorities evaluated the meeting positively and expressed hope that the government will be protecting them better in the future.

“It is a great step that the State Minister has conveyed apologies of the President. I hope that we will not be persecuted any more,” Malkhaz Songhulashvili, head of the Georgian Evangelical-Baptist Church told Civil Georgia.

Representatives of the human right advocacy organizations, which attended the meeting also hailed the State Minister’s move.

“It would be better if the government showed interest in the religious minority issues earlier. Apology is a very important symbol for the society, however. I hope that after this move the political spectrum will be more consolidated concerning the religious minority issues,” Levan Ramishvili of the Liberty Institute told Civil Georgia.

During the last 4 years, various religious groups, especially the Jehovah’s Witnesses, have suffered form numerous attacks of Mkalavishvili’s group, which often assailed or interrupted the prayers. The non-governmental organizations have blamed the police for inaction on such occasions.

“They are criminals, not the law enforcers. They support Mkalavishvili and help him in his attacks. I saw myself how the police officers stood idle and watched the raid on the worshippers,” MP Mikheil Naneishvili, said at the meeting.

The Council of Europe, as well as the United States administration, has been expressing concern over increase of religious violence in Georgia. In every report of the various international human rights organizations in the last years, the need for prosecuting the perpetrators of the religious violence is strongly stressed.

Criminal charges against Mkalavishvili are already invoked in connection with repeated assaults on Jehovah’s Witnesses. The court has recently prohibited Mkalavishvili to leave the capital city. However the court ruling decision could not stop Mkalavishvili to carry out another violent attack against the religious minorities on January 24. 

Representatives of the religious minorities and the civil society hope that the February 18 meeting would become a turning point of the state policy with regards to the religious issues.

By Goga Chanadiri