Categories
Journalistic Survey
Articles
Reportage
Analitic
Photo Reportage
Exclusive
Interview
Foreign Media about Georgia
Editorial
Position
Reader's opinion
Blog
Themes
Children's Rights
Women's Rights
Justice
Refugees/IDPs
Minorities
Media
Army
Health
Corruption
Elections
Education
Penitentiary
Religion
Others

Address of Human Rights Center about Persecution of Jehovah Witnesses

April 28, 2015
 
Human Rights Center is concerned with the persecution of Jehovah Witnesses in Terjola, which started in June 2014 and still continues. 

On February 19, 2014 Jehovah Witnesses obtained permission from the local municipal administration to construct Royal Palace in the Street of Four Brothers in Terjola town. In June 2014, part of local population organized protest rallies against the construction. The activities of protesters contained signs of the crime punishable by the Criminal Code of Georgia – threat of destroying other’s property. “Entire Terjola population is against [construction]; we will burn their chapel because there is no place for them here;” “unless they stop construction, we will destroy their [palace] and evict them from homes.”1

Afterwards, chairman of the Terjola municipal board issued order to suspend construction of the Palace based on the application of the families living in the neighborhood; according to the application the construction was damaging their houses. However, the decision was not verified with relevant expertise conclusion and Jehovah Witnesses appealed to the Zestaponi district court and requested to annul the municipal board chairman’s order.

On March 19, 2015 Zestaponi district court upheld the appeal of the suitors and ordered the Terjola municipal board to issue a new order on the resume of construction.

The court judgment mentions September 29, 2014 conclusion of the Levan Samkharauli Forensic National Bureau on the engineer-geologic expertise which was conducted based on the order of the Terjola district governor. According to the expertise conclusion, “Construction of a house in the 1, Four Brothers Street, Terjola will not negatively impact and damage steadiness of the houses of I. Tsartsidze and K. Makaridze located in the same street.” 

On April 21, 2015 Jehovah Witnesses received a threatening letter from the so-called initiative group, which stated that district society and representatives of the interested organizations planned to gather on April 26, 2015 in the hall of the municipal board to discuss the issue of construction. “If you refuse to participate in the dialogue and neglect fair protest of the Orthodox Christians (intelligentsia and working people), we will conclude that you purposefully escalate controversy within the society for and you will be responsible for the expected results,” the letter reads (see attached document on the third page).

The letter contains signs of intimidation and discrimination against Jehovah Witnesses.

Human Rights Center addresses to relevant law enforcement bodies to investigate this fact; the Center also appeals to the Public Defender of Georgia to get interested and study the alleged facts of discrimination against Jehovah Witnesses in the frame of its authorities taken under the Law of Georgia on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination.

Human Rights Center 


 

News