«Yerkir» Union Appeals to the International Community to
take immediate measures for solving all ethnic minority
rights issues in Georgia and facilitating the return of the
“Norashen” Armenian Church to its legitimate owner
Alarmed on the recent developments around the “Norashen”
Armenian church in Tbilisi, Georgia, “Yerkir” Union has
prepared an appeal addressed to the international community.
On May 29, 2008 the letters containing appeal were delivered
to the state bodies of Georgia (President, Prime Minister,
Chairman of the Parliament, State Minister for the
Reintegration Issues, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister
of Education and Science, Minister of Internal Affairs,
Minister of Culture, Monument Protection and Sport),
Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, human rights defender
of Georgia, embassies of European Union, France, Germany,
Italy, Russia, Swiss Confederation, United Kingdom, USA,
Vatican, representations of the Council of Europe in
Georgia, United Nations, OSCE, human rights organizations
and NGO’s operating in Georgia. Below is the full text of
the appeal.
To All International Organizations, Embassies and Other
Concerned Structures and Persons Operating in Georgia
Although Georgia has joined and ratified numerous
international documents on freedom of thought, conscience
and religion, the situation regarding the protection of
religious rights of minorities is distressing. In comparison
with the Georgian Orthodox Church, other religious
confessions, and, particularly, Armenian Apostolic and Roman
Catholic Churches (AAC and RCC respectively) in Georgia
continually suffer from discrimination: they do not have a
status of public legal entity, their churches, nationalized
by the Soviet regime, 17 years after the destruction of the
Soviet Union still remain unreturned to their legitimate
owners.
The Armenian Apostolic Church demands return of “Norashen”,
“Surb Nshan”, “Shamkhoretsots Surb Astvadzadzin”, “Mughno
Surb Gevorg”, “Surb Minas” churches in Tbilisi, and “Surb
Nshan” church in Akhaltsikhe.
Numerous international organizations, human rights
institutes are acknowledging the legitimacy of these
religious claims and continually recommending the Georgian
government to solve these issues.
The UN Human Rights Committee in its 91th
session (October 15-16th, 2007) considering the
third periodic report on Georgia about how that State Party
is fulfilling its obligations, under the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, called upon Georgian
authorities
1. To take steps to ensure equal enjoyment of the right of
freedom of religion or belief and ensure that its
legislation and practices conform fully with the
international standards
2. To address the problems related to the confiscation of
places of worship and related properties of religious
minorities.
The issue of registration of the AAC and RCC and return of
their property is also raised in the US department’s
International Religious Freedom Reports (2005-07), in the
Georgian Ombudsman’s reports and various other documents.
In spite of all these recommendations and appeals, the
Georgian Government continues its discriminatory policy, the
apparent manifestation of which is the recent crisis over
the “Norashen” Armenian Church in Tbilisi. Father Tariel
Sikinchelashvili, a senior priest of the Georgian Orthodox
Church, has initiated construction works on the immediate
proximity of “Norashen” and temporarily halted them down
after the insistence and public protests of the Armenian
community.
To clarify the situation, on May 21-22, the fact finding
group of “Yerkir” Union of NGO’s has visited Tbilisi. During
the interview with Father Tariel we have found out that the
construction works he was carrying were authorized by the
municipality of Tbilisi.
And although the construction of the surrounding fence
(carrying Georgian religious symbols) has been suspended, it
still continues in the inner yard of the church.
We have carefully documented the above mentioned facts. In
the attached DVD disc, you can find the following:
1. Permission of construction works given by the
municipality of Tbilisi
2. Georgian ombudsman’s statement affirming that Georgian
authorities do nothing to implement international
recommendations
3. Documentary shots showing that construction works are
still in progress
To get online version of the film, please visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om1GzTHuJ5Q
Taking into consideration the above mentioned facts,
“Yerkir” Union of NGO’s calls upon the UN, EU, OSCE and
Council of Europe appropriate structures and all concerned
international organizations and human rights bodies to take
immediate and direct measures for solving all ethnic
minority rights issues in Georgia and above all facilitating
the registration of the AAC, the RCC and return all
confiscated places of worship to their legitimate owners.
“Yerkir” Union of NGO’s for Repatriation and Settlement
