April 11, 2004

In the Temka region of Tbilisi, two of Jehovah's Witnesses, Ms. Jane Nozadze and Ms. Nestan Kubusidze, are verbally abused and physically assaulted by two women, both followers of Vasili Mkalavishvili. A complaint is filed by the victims with police.

March 30, 2004

In the village of Marani in the Abasha region, Albert Turkia, one of Jehovah's Witnesses, along with a previous victim of religious violence, is verbally abused and physically assaulted by Giorgi Shengelia, who also takes Turkia's personal belongings and Bible. Two other local people join in assaulting Mr. Turkia, who has to be treated for injuries. The victim files a complaint with the police, but later his attacker apologizes, signing a document containing his apology and a pledge never to commit such a crime again. The victim accepts his assurances, and the case is settled peacefully.

March 28, 2004

In the Varketili region of Tbilisi, two of Jehovah's Witnesses, David Koberidze and Edgar Alekperov, are making home visitations when they are verbally abused and physically assaulted by an unknown assailant, who punches Koberidze several times and kicks Alekperov. Both victims require treatment for their injuries. Complaints are filed by the victims with the local police. No charges are laid.

March 19, 2004

In the city of Samtredia at 1 a.m., a bomb explodes on a plot of land where the construction of a new Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses is under way. The intensity of the bomb blast is such that it breaks windows on a neighboring house. Fortunately, no one is hurt and the already existing home on the piece of land is not damaged aside from the pavement outside. That same evening the owner of the home receives an anonymous phone call saying that there is another bomb on his land. The police are called and arrive to inspect the lot. When no bomb is found, they refuse to initiate a criminal case.

That same day, in the Gldanula settlement of Tbilisi, Zura Gogichaishvili verbally abuses and physically assaults two women, Tamarisa Nadirashvili and Mary Khrikuli, both Jehovah's Witnesses, while they are making home visitations in the area. He then threatens to kill them if he sees them in the area again. The two are treated for injuries at a nearby hospital. Complaints are filed by the victims with the General Prosecutor. No charges are laid.

March 12, 2004

After over 100 attacks and related incidents and over 800 criminal complaints filed by Jehovah's Witnesses with law enforcement officials, renegade Orthodox priest Vasili Mkalavishvili is finally arrested by Georgian police. He is not charged for any of the numerous attacks on Jehovah's Witnesses, but he is charged for attacks on Baptists and Evangelists. Charges of persecution, battery, illegal interference with religious rites, and encroachment upon the inviolability of home or other possessions are brought against Mkalavishvili and his cohort, Petre (Gia) Ivanidze, in the Didube-Chughureti District Court in Tbilisi. His previous trial, which was never concluded, had been repeatedly postponed and interrupted by verbal abuse and physical violence by Mkalavishvili's followers inside and outside the courtroom, at times even perpetrated by the two defendants themselves.

February 29, 2004

In Samtredia at 1 a.m., an unknown individual or individuals in an act of arson set fire to a small kiosk located in the yard of a home where meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses are held. A complaint is filed with the police and the General Prosecutor. Although the home and its owner had already been subjected to a mob attack just five days earlier, on February 24, the police refuse to initiate a criminal case.

February 25, 2004

The two children of Ms. Dodo Khurtsidze, one of Jehovah's Witnesses, are verbally abused and physically assaulted in front of their own home as they are walking to a neighbor's house. The assailant, Boris Tevzadze, forcibly takes a toy one of the children is carrying and smashes it on the ground. He then tries to force the children to make the sign of the cross. When the mother of the children comes out to see what is going on, she is verbally abused by Tevzadze. Finally, road police standing not far from there come over and take Tevzadze away. A complaint is filed by the children's mother with the police, and a copy is sent to the General Prosecutor. The police refuse to initiate a criminal case.

February 24, 2004

In the city of Samtredia, a mob of about 20 people burst into a home and disrupt a peaceful meeting of a small group of Jehovah's Witnesses. The intruders threaten and verbally abuse those in attendance. Police are called but only one policeman arrives half an hour later. He says nothing to the mob and claims to have come only to obtain statements from victims of a similar mob attack on the same home on January 31. The mob finally leaves of its own accord. Complaints are filed by victims with the police. No charges are laid.

February 19, 2004

In Samtredia, two of Jehovah's Witnesses, Mr. Manuchar Dundua and Ms. Mzia Mskhiladze, are making home visitations when they are confronted by three young men who verbally abuse them and forcibly take Ms. Mskhiladze's Bible. One of the assailants is later identified as Avtandil Rukhadze, a local Orthodox cleric. Complaints are filed by victims with the police. No charges are laid.

January 31, 2004

In the city of Samtredia, a mob of about 30 persons interrupts a religious meeting of the local congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, insulting and threatening those in attendance. Police are called to the scene and some of the eight policemen who arrive sympathize with the attackers. Criminal complaints are filed by the victims with the General Prosecutor and the local police. No charges are laid.

January 24, 2004

In Samtredia, Zviad Akhobadze and his minor children are walking to a meeting of the local congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses when they are stopped and threatened by three individuals. One of them is Gia Sharashenidze, who warns them not to hold their religious meetings any more. A criminal complaint is filed by the victim with the General Prosecutor. No charges are laid.

January 21, 2004

Malkhaz Skachkov and Tinatin Meladze are peacefully walking along a street in the city of Rustavi when Mamuka Chikhradze, who is a member of the Orthodox extremist "Jvari" organization, assaults them. Skachkov goes to the hospital for first aid. He files a criminal complaint with the General Prosecutor and the General Inspection of Ministry of Internal Affairs. No charges are laid.

January 20, 2004

In Samtredia, the home of John Kokhreidze, one of Jehovah's Witnesses, is attacked by individuals throwing stones. Several windows of the home are broken. A criminal complaint is filed by the victim with the General Prosecutor. No charges are laid.

January 19, 2004

In Samtredia, a mob of about 20 individuals interrupt a peaceful meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses being held at the private home of Mevludi Shengelia, located at 14 Khiblari Street. The intruders insult and threaten everyone present and order them not to hold their religious meetings anymore. A criminal complaint is filed by the victims with the General Prosecutor's Office. No charges are laid.

December 28, 2003

In Samtredia at about 3:00 p.m., a mob of about 40 people go to the location where the construction of the new Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses is under way. They break through the gate and demolish three walls of the building as they had threatened to do on December 23, 2003. Statements are filed by the victims/witnesses with the General Prosecutor and the General Inspection of Ministry of Internal Affairs. No charges are laid.

December 23, 2003

In Samtredia at about 7:00 p.m., four drunken individuals enter the territory where the construction of the new Kingdom Hall is under way. They verbally abuse and then assault those present. One of the victims, Paata Arabuli, suffers a brain concussion. The attackers demand that construction stop, and they threaten that they will gather a mob and destroy the building if construction continues. Statements and criminal complaints are filed by the victims with the General Prosecutor and the General Inspection of Ministry of Internal Affairs. No charges are laid.

That same day, in the city of Senaki, while Babutsa Jijelava and Irma Turkia are walking on the street they are verbally abused and then assaulted by Orthodox clergyman Kakha Papava. He threatens that worse things will happen to them if he sees them on the street again. Criminal complaints are filed by the victims with the General Prosecutor and the local police, but later the case is settled, since Kakha Papava pleads guilty and apologizes, signing a document stating that he will never repeat such actions.

December 8, 2003

Late in the night, five masked men brandishing weapons go to the construction site of a Kingdom Hall in Samtredia and demand a vehicle belonging to Jehovah's Witnesses. The volunteers at the site surrender the keys to the automobile as well as the two mobile telephones that are demanded, and as a result, no one is harmed. The law-enforcement agencies do nothing regarding this case, and the investigator in the case, Zviad Tevzadze, even requests $500 (US) in order to find the vehicle.

October 13, 2003

In the city of Senaki, a mob of about 40 men, one of them armed with a gun, invades the home of Merab Kardava where religious meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses are regularly held. Kardava, his son-in-law Leri Otkhozoria, and a woman neighbor, Zoya Ashordia, are physically assaulted and threatened with further attacks if religious meetings continue to be held in his home. Kardava's 12-year-old child, Irakli, is forced to flee from the house. Personal belongings and religious literature are stolen and some items are destroyed at the gate of the house. The victims are able to identify two attackers, Bezhan Sanaia and Kakha Papava (an Orthodox clergyman). A complaint is filed with the General Prosecutor and the Ombudsman's Office. No charges are laid.

October 11, 2003

In the Gldani region of Tbilisi, three of Jehovah's Witnesses, Shalva Kvakharshiashvili, Gela Beruashvili and Khvtiso Khosiauri, are peacefully walking on the street when they are threatened, verbally abused and assaulted by two unknown individuals. Then the personal belongings of the Witnesses are stolen. A complaint is filed by the victims with the General Prosecutor and the Ombudsman's Office. No charges are laid.

October 9, 2003

Customs officials of the Regional Customs "East" Department, yielding to pressure from Member of Parliament Guram Sharadze, refuse to release a shipment of religious literature belonging to Jehovah's Witnesses in Georgia. The shipment is received in the name of private citizen Mamuka Chabashvili, and all necessary papers had been filed with the Customs Department. Sharadze came in person to the Lilo 1 Customs Terminal, where the shipment was being held, and pressured Customs officials into refusing to release the shipment. In the meantime, Sharadze promised to petition the courts to have the shipment declared illegal. This was done even though the right to import religious publications is guaranteed by the Constitution and the laws of Georgia.

September 25, 2003

In the Isani region of Tbilisi, on Atskuri Street, Besik Gazdeliani blocks the road with his car and assaults two of Jehovah's Witnesses, Roman Petrosyan and Mikael Grigoryan, stealing their personal belongings and religious literature. A complaint is filed by the victims with the local police and the General Prosecutor. No charges are laid.

The same day, in the Merve Polki region of Tbilisi, some of Jehovah's Witnesses are peacefully walking on the street when Besik Gazdeliani and three other people attack them, steal their personal belongings and burn their religious literature. The attackers verbally abuse the Witnesses, warn them not to return to that region and threaten them. A criminal complaint is filed by the victims with the General Prosecutor and the Ombudsman's Office. No charges are laid.

August 19, 2003

In the Merve Polki region of Tbilisi, Besik Gazdeliani, who has assaulted Jehovah's Witnesses on several occasions in the past, assaults Igor Kamenski while he is peacefully walking on the street with another one of Jehovah's Witnesses. Kamenski's personal belongings are stolen, and he is injured so severely that he has to be taken to the hospital. A complaint is filed with the local police, who refuse to initiate a criminal case.

July 13, 2003

In the village of Ortasheni, in the Gori region, a member of local administration, Manana Archvadze, has incited residents to disrupt meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses on several occasions. On this date she takes ten local residents along with a reporter from the TV station to the home of Shalva Mamporia, where religious meetings and conventions of Jehovah's Witnesses are held. She makes false accusations against Jehovah's Witnesses, claiming that their religious conventions are illegal. The victims file a complaint with local police and the General Prosecutor regarding all these incidents. No charges are laid.

July 8, 2003

In the city of Abasha, the Deputy Mayor of the city, Mr. Khvicha Gabelaia, along with ten other individuals, including the Gamgebeli (administrator), Tamaz Zakaidze, and the Chief of Administration of Abasha, Pridon Pataraia, go to the home of Valeri Tsomaia while a religious meeting is in progress. They disrupt the meeting and threaten those in attendance. Three persons, Zaza Jojua, Albert Turkia and Aleko Gamtsemlidze, are physically assaulted while all in attendance are being verbally abused. A complaint was filed by the victims with the General Prosecutor and the Ombudsman's Office. No charges are laid.

July 7, 2003

In the village of Breti, in the Kareli region, Badri Guliashvili and Sabira Kvrivishvili are assaulted by Dato Khelisupali while they are peacefully walking on the street. This is the second time that Khelisupali assaults Jehovah's Witnesses. Khelisupali threatens the victims with worse treatment should they return to the village. A complaint is filed by the victims with the General Prosecutor and the Ombudsman's Office. No charges are laid.

June 26, 2003

In the village of Vaka, in the Khashuri region, local Orthodox priest, Iago Chochnidze, incites residents of the village against Jehovah's Witnesses. This is the second time that Chochnidze has incited others against Jehovah's Witnesses. Accompanied by about ten young men, he goes to the home of Inga Melikishvili and threatens her, ordering her to stop holding religious meetings in her home. A complaint is filed by the victims with the General Prosecutor and the Ombudsman's Office. No charges are laid.

June 18, 2003

In the Nadzaladevi region of Tbilisi, a mob of 12 drunken men verbally abuse and assault four of Jehovah's Witnesses, Dato Kinkladze, Dato Sharia, Gogita Beroshvili and Giorgi Inasaridze, as they are returning home from a religious meeting. Victims require medical help. The victims file a complaint with the local police.

June 16, 2003

In village of Ortasheni, in the Gori region, two vehicles with police officers arrive at the private home of Shalva Mamporia, where a religious meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses is in progress. Claiming an impending attack, they request that the meeting be shortened. Those responsible for the meeting request that police remain and protect them in the event of an attack and the meeting continues. Four local women come in protest and then leave the property. Policemen leave at the end of the meeting.

June 7-8, 2003

In the city of Bolnisi, on June 7, Police Chief Emzar Getiashvili and three other policemen go to the house of Vakhtang Gabunia, where a religious convention is being held. He warns Gabunia not to hold such conventions at this home in the future. Since a similar convention is planned for June 8, a call complaining about the actions of the Chief of Police is made to the Deputy Minister of Interior, who promises to intervene and prevent any further problems. On June 8, the convention is held without hindrance.

June 1, 2003

Uniformed police with handguns enter private property where a religious convention of about 600 Jehovah's Witnesses is in progress in the city of Gori. Amateur video captures the chief of the criminal section of the Gori police, Levani Chokheli, taking the stage and ordering the meeting to stop. Those in attendance depart after police order them to leave.

May 31, 2003

Police in plain clothes stop large buses, minibuses and personal vehicles from entering private property where a religious convention is planned for about 700 Jehovah's Witnesses in the Aspindza region of Georgia. The governor of the Aspindza region, Anzor Sandroshvili, takes the stage of the convention and orders those assembled to leave the site. Governor Sandroshvili threatens further action if those in attendance do not depart.

May 22, 2003

In the village of Anaklia in the Zugdidi region, while Giorgi Beraia and Ame Jurkhandze are peacefully walking on the street they are physically assaulted by local clergyman Merab Chejia. Chejia also verbally abuses them publicly and threatens them and warns them not to come back to Anaklia again. A complaint is filed by the victims with the General Prosecutor. No charges are laid.

May 3-4, 2003

On May 3, Gori region Governor, Zaza Koshadze, and Gori region Police Chief, Revaz Kotiashvili, as well as other officials, including Member of Parliament Guram Sharadze, order the cancellation of a religious meeting planned in the city of Gori for hundreds of Jehovah's Witnesses. On May 4, a local Orthodox priest along with some residents blocks the roads, preventing some 800 delegates from attending, while camouflage-uniformed police armed with machine guns enter the convention site, which is private property belonging to one of Jehovah's Witnesses.

April 29, 2003

The criminal trial against renegade Orthodox priest Vasili Mkalavishvili and his accomplice, Petre (Gia) Ivanidze, proceeds in the Tbilisi Didube-Chughureti District (City) Court. As the trial resumes, their supporters, carrying two large religious flags, enter the courtroom and quickly become agitated, take over the courtroom and, in the presence of several policemen, hurl obscenities and threats at the victims of previous attacks and at the victims' attorneys. The mob then turns on some of those present, including foreign observers. Police intervene only to protect a foreign observer. One of the mob of Mkalavishvili's followers, Mikheil Nikolozishvili, reportedly shouts at the victims: "We know where you all live, and we will terrorize you; we will blow you up!" He then tries to assault one of the victims of previous attacks, Badri Kopaliani, who was already fending off blows from other attackers. Ivanidze also attempts to assault Kopaliani. Attorney Manuchar Tsimintia reports that Mkalavishvili warns him: "If you file any more criminal complaints against me or the Jvari group in the city of Rustavi, we will cut off both of your hands!" In the presence of policemen, victim Ketevan Sekhniashvili is physically expelled from the courtroom by two members of the mob. Foreign observers flee the courtroom in fear. When the judge enters the courtroom, the violence subsides. During the next four hours, victims who take the stand to testify are asked personal questions, including why they are Jehovah's Witnesses, why they changed religion, and what the religion of their relatives is. During the questioning, the audience jeers. At the end of the hearing, and while the judge is still sitting on the bench, victims' attorney Shalva Katsiashvili is kicked and punched by members of the mob as he leaves the courtroom. The judge postpones the trial but does not set a new court date.

April 20, 2003

In Tbilisi an Orthodox vendor verbally abuses and assaults two individuals who are Jehovah's Witnesses while they are at their place of work at the market. Fearing for their safety, the victims do not file a criminal complaint.

April 17, 2003

Jehovah's Witnesses file a lawsuit against the Ministry of Finances after two containers of Witness literature continue to be illegally detained by Customs.

April 12, 2003

The Customs Department at Poti detains another shipment of religious literature belonging to Jehovah's Witnesses in Georgia.

April 7, 2003

In Chiatura, while two night guards are present on the construction site of the Kingdom Hall, individuals place a bomb that explodes with a large noise but does not cause any damage. Police are called and come to retrieve evidence of the explosion. A complaint is filed with the General Prosecutor and a copy with the Ombudsman. No charges are laid.

April 4, 2003

The trial of Vasili Mkalavishvili and Petre (Gia) Ivanidze, postponed from March 31, is rescheduled for April 29, 2003.

March 8, 2003

The Customs Department in the city of Poti illegally seizes a shipment of religious literature belonging to Jehovah's Witnesses. The Customs Department of Georgia then issues instructions to regional customs offices, including those of Ajara and Abkhazia, not to allow the importation of literature by the Representation of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. Officials from the Customs Department are acting on orders from the Executive Office of the Ministry of Justice, which claimed that the Representation of the Watch Tower Society could not lawfully operate in Georgia. This is despite the clearly stated comments by the Supreme Court in its February 22, 2001, decision regarding the annulment of the Watch Tower Society's registration as a legal entity. That decision stated: "The result of the annulment of the court registration as legal entities of private law of the mentioned association has not resulted in their liquidation, but only in the termination of their registration as legal entities of private law, which does not restrict their rights in any way to be a subject of private legal relationships as any other legal entity of private or public law, natural person, or nonregistered union." Justice Alla Kakhniauri, of the Vake-Saburtalo District Court, had already ruled on October 23, 2000, against the Customs Department for having illegally seized a shipment of religious literature of the Watch Tower Society, ordering them to pay storage cost and attorney fees.

February 19, 2003

In the city of Rustavi, a member of the ultra-Orthodox organization "Jvari" physically assaults two women, both of whom are Jehovah's Witnesses, while they were engaged in their public ministry, talking to neighbors about the Bible. A medical report is obtained and a criminal complaint filed by the victims. No charges are laid.

February 17, 2003

Investigator Nukri Gabrielashvili, of the Isani-Samgori Prosecutor's Office, informs Manuchar Tsimintia, attorney for Jehovah's Witnesses, that a criminal complaint had been filed with the General Prosecutor by renegade Orthodox priest Vasili Mkalavishvili and "Jvari" leader Paata Bluashvili claiming that the office buildings of Jehovah's Witnesses located in Varketili had been purchased illegally. They requested that the buildings be confiscated by the State and turned over to refugees. In their statement, Mkalavishvili and Bluashvili threaten to remove Jehovah's Witnesses from the property forcefully if the State fails to do so. Gabrielashvili is investigating the complaint.

February 16, 2003

In the village of Vaka, of the Khashuri region, the local Orthodox priest, Iago Chochnidze, and the director of the local school, Archil Mamulashvili, interrupt a meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses where approximately 30 are gathered for worship. Those in attendance are threatened and ordered not to hold religious meetings anymore. Before they leave, the priest and the school director force those in attendance to leave the premises.

February 13, 2003

In the Tsalenjikha region, armed men attack a family of Jehovah's Witnesses. The attackers burn religious literature belonging to the family and steal the family's personal belongings. A criminal complaint is filed. No charges are laid.

February 2, 2003

In the village of Araze in the Adigeni region, two individuals who are Jehovah's Witnesses are peacefully engaged in their Christian ministry when they are suddenly approached by a mob, threatened, and then expelled from the village.

January 30, 2003

In the city of Rustavi, a meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses is being held in the apartment of Boris Kupradze, where about 90 are gathered together for worship. During their meeting, a mob led by Paata Bluashvili, who heads the ultra-Orthodox organization "Jvari," gathers in the yard of the building. Mob members bang on the door demanding that the meeting be stopped and that religious literature be burned. Individuals inside the apartment contact local police. Shortly thereafter several police officers arrive and note the mob in the yard. A little later, Rustavi Police Chief Japaridze arrives. When Japaridze sees Bluashvili he is very friendly toward him and kisses him. Police then knock on the door and ask to enter. Once inside they ask that the religious meeting be stopped and that everyone leave. They also suggest that the mob be given some religious literature to burn in order to pacify it. Those in attendance explain that their meeting is legal and that they will not leave until it is finished. They also refuse to allow the mob to burn any of their literature. Once the meeting finishes, police again request that everyone leave the apartment while Bluashvili's mob is still outside. Those in attendance refuse to leave fearing that police would allow the mob to attack them. They ask the police to disperse the mob before anyone leaves the building. Eventually the police acquiesce, and the mob is dispersed. Even though leading such a mob to disrupt a religious service is a criminal offense, and Bluashvili has committed it many times in the past, police make no effort to arrest him. Criminal complaints are filed. No charges are laid.

January 29, 2003

In the Dighomi region of Tbilisi, a vehicle approaches Giorgi Meparishvili while he is walking along the street. Two armed men exit the vehicle and order him to stop. Startled and frightened, Meparishvili runs away. He is followed by the attackers into a five-story building where he tries to hide in the apartment of a relative. No one is home, so Meparishvili runs onto the roof of the building. The attackers follow him. Meparishvili then tries to escape from the roof by climbing down a tree, but a branch breaks and he falls from the fifth story. The neighbors call an ambulance, and he is taken to the hospital. Complaints are filed with the local police and the General Prosecutor. Meparishvili did not recognize the attackers. However, he had been a victim of a religious attack on September 29, 2002, and in fact the day of this incident he was scheduled to appear before the Supreme Court regarding that attack.

January 23, 2003

In Tbilisi, Oliko Simonishvili and Maia Sopromadze are talking with a person about the Bible. During their conversation, an unknown individual approaches them and introduces himself as a policeman. He starts verbally abusing them and then assaults them, kicking and punching Simonishvili. When she is taken to the hospital, Simonishvili is diagnosed as having suffered a brain concussion. Complaints are filed with the local police and General Prosecutor. No charges are laid.

January 17, 2003

In Rustavi, after a court hearing involving the victim of a religiously motivated attack, attorney Manuchar Tsiminitia is attacked in the hallway in front of several court personnel by Paata Bluashvili, leader of the ultra-Orthodox organization "Jvari." Bluashvili punches attorney Tsimintia in the face and stomach. He then follows him outside and continues to threaten him. A complaint is filed with the court, the prosecutor and the Supreme Court. A motion is also filed with the investigator asking that Bluashvili be imprisoned as provided for in the Criminal Code of Procedures. No action is taken.

January 8, 2003

Police at Natakhtari Police Station in the Mtskheta region stop a vehicle driven by one of Jehovah's Witnesses and carrying a small amount of religious literature. The vehicle is impounded for allegedly carrying "illegal literature." An officer of the Special Forces checks the documents of the driver and then transfers the vehicle to their terminal. After 10 days, the vehicle is finally released, since it had been illegally impounded.

December 11, 2002

As of December 11, the vehicle confiscated on December 6 still had not been released.

December 6, 2002

In the Ponichala region of Tbilisi, several policemen stop a truck that belongs to Jehovah's Witnesses and that is transporting a shipment of religious literature. When policeman Mikheil Kuparashvili learns that the truck is carrying the literature of Jehovah's Witnesses, he becomes aggressive and begins swearing. The truck driver, Aleksandre Gvritishvili, is detained for about one hour, during which time he is forbidden to telephone anyone. To make sure he will not use his mobile phone, a policeman even follows him to the toilet. The policeman, however, has made several phone calls. Eventually, the truck driver is given back his papers and is told he can go. But as he walks toward the truck, renegade Orthodox priest Vasili Mkalavishvili and Petre (Gia) Ivanidze, along with a mob of about 25, arrive on the scene. They had obviously been informed. Ivanidze comes directly up to the truck driver and threatens to kill him if he does not open the truck. He then strikes him in the face, having wrestled out of his hands the original documents of the literature shipment. All of this takes place in the presence of policemen present at the checkpoint. No attempt is made by police to stop this assault or to retrieve the original documents. The police, acting on the order of Mkalavishvili and Ivanidze, illegally confiscate the vehicle and its shipment. A criminal complaint regarding the assault on Gvritishvili is filed as well as a criminal complaint against the police involved in the illegal seizure. Although a letter requesting an immediate investigation and disciplinary action against police involved is also sent to the Ministry of Interior, no action is taken.

December 4, 2002

In the city of Sachkhere, when Giorgi Mekhrishvili, one of Jehovah's Witnesses, dies following a car accident, local Orthodox priest David Katsitadze attempts to prevent the family from burying him in the family burial plot located in an Armenian graveyard. He incites some women to prevent the workers from digging the grave and then meets with the deceased's relatives, threatening them and stating that he would not allow the body to be buried in the family plot. A complaint is filed with the local police, and it is necessary for the police to escort the family to allow the burial to take place.

November 13, 2002

In the Varketili region of Tbilisi, during the evening, rocks are again thrown at a building that belongs to Jehovah's Witnesses and that is under construction. A criminal complaint is filed with the police. No charges are laid.

November 7, 2002

In the Gldani region of Tbilisi, Vladimer Kokosadze, a victim of a previous mob attack by renegade Orthodox priest Vasili Mkalavishvili and his followers, had been constantly abused verbally and cursed at in public by Lado Tskhvedadze, one of Mkalavishvili's followers. Tskhvedadze dumps liquid from the second floor of a building on Kokosadze's head. Kokosadze then complains to the police. This same day, Tskhvedadze attempts to throw a bottle at Kokosadze, but a bystander prevents him from doing so. Kokosadze's father-in-law tries to intervene on behalf of his son-in-law; he is kicked, punched and threatened with a knife. Tskhvedadze then threatens to kill Kokosadze and destroy his car. Kokosadze files a criminal complaint with the police, but no charges are laid.

October 25, 2002

In the city of Chiatura, over a period of three days, rocks are thrown onto the property where a meeting place of the local congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses is being built, damaging the roof. Attempts are also made to burn the building. Criminal complaints are filed by the victims with local police. No charges are laid.

October 10, 2002

In the city of Aspindza, Tamriko Alibegashvili, a teacher at the Aspindza Elementary School, assaults a student, Inga Kavelidze, who is one of Jehovah's Witnesses, The teacher slams Inga's head on a desk and strikes her several times in the head with the class journal, a thick registry. The teacher had found a torn Orthodox publication in the washroom and falsely blamed the student for destroying it. Following the assault, the young girl had difficulties walking and speaking and required medical attention. A criminal complaint is filed with the local police and prosecutor, and a complaint is also filed with the Ministry of Education. The teacher eventually apologies for her actions before a trial judge and the mother of the child and the criminal file is closed.

October 7, 2002

In the Gldani region of Tbilisi, near the metro station, Vakhtang Dadunadze, who is recognized as a follower of Vasili Mkalavishvili, attacks Alexander Gomarteli while he is walking on the street. Dadunadze reportedly tries to steal Gomarteli's religious literature while shouting: "He is a Jehovist." Two policemen come and take Gomarteli to the police station and ask him to write a statement. Within a short time, Mkalavishvili, Dadunadze, Lia Akhalkatsi and several others come to the police station. Akhalkatsi films what is going on while Mkalavishvili and the policemen verbally abuse Gomarteli. Dadunadze physically assaults Gomarteli in the presence of the policemen. After this, the policemen take Gomarteli to the third department of Gldani police. There he is verbally abused again and one policeman assaults him, hitting him on the head with a Bible. They then take his passport and order him to come to the police station the next day. A criminal complaint is filed by the victim with the General Prosecutor. No charges are laid.

October 5, 2002

In the Varketili region of Tbilisi, unknown individuals start throwing rocks at a site where an office building for Jehovah's Witnesses is under construction. Susanna Azatian is on the property at the time, and one rock strikes her in the face. She has to be taken to the hospital for first-aid treatment. This is not the first time that the offices in Varketili have come under attack. (See September 6 and 16, 2002.) A criminal complaint by the victim is filed with the General Prosecutor and the local police. No charges are laid.

September 29, 2002

In the Dighomi region of Tbilisi, a mob gathers outside the residence of one of Jehovah's Witnesses, Lena Jghamadze, where a religious meeting is about to be held. The mob prevents worshipers from entering the home. Those who have already arrived are verbally abused and one individual, Giorgi Meparishvili, is beaten. Bibles and Bible literature are taken. One individual who was beaten goes immediately to the police for help. Upon learning that he is one of Jehovah's Witnesses, the police curse at him and say: "Why didn't they kill you!" Criminal complaints are filed by the victims. No charges are laid.

September 26, 2002

In the village of Napareuli (near the city of Telavi), a mob of masked men, one of them carrying a gun, burst into the private home of Lili Tsiplashvili, where a religious meeting is being conducted. Those in attendance are verbally abused, cursed at and physically assaulted. Gunshots are heard. Kakha Babisashvili is beaten unconscious, and a frightened six-year-old boy, the son of Lali Ramazashvili, jumps out of a window to escape. The private home is ransacked and looted, and personal belongings, including religious literature and money, are destroyed or stolen. According to eyewitnesses, the leader of the attack was Mr.  Nodar Paradashvili, the village Gamgebeli (administrator). Mr. Paradashvili personally took part in the assault. Local police refuse to help or to accept complaints from the victims. Criminal complaints are filed by the victims with the General Prosecutor. No charges are laid.

September 25, 2002

In the city of Rustavi, at about 2:30 p.m., Paata Bluashvili, leader of the ultra-Orthodox organization "Jvari," leads a mob of about 15 extremists in an attack on a small group meeting together for worship. The mob forcibly enters the private home of Jimsher Gogelashvili, where about 20 Jehovah's Witnesses and their non-Witness guests are gathered for Bible study. Two of the Witnesses, Gia Kurua and Vakhtang Akopashvili, and one non-Witness visitor, Joni Bairamashvili, are physically assaulted. Religious literature is stolen and destroyed. Police in the police station located about 300 feet from the attack refuse to come and help. Criminal complaints are filed by the victims with the General Prosecutor.

September 16, 2002

Ten days after an anti-Witness rally evidently organized by Guram Sharadze, stones are thrown during the night at the offices of Jehovah's Witnesses located in the Varketili region of Tbilisi. A criminal complaint is filed by victims with the local police. No charges are laid.

September 14, 2002

In the Gldani region of Tbilisi, Vasili Mkalavishvili along with his followers goes to the apartment where religious meetings for the deaf are held in sign language. He warns that if the meetings continue to be held, the congregation will be attacked. The incident is filmed, and a criminal complaint is filed by the victims with the General Prosecutor. No charges are laid.

September 9, 2002

In Sachkhere, a deceased Jehovah's Witness, Marijan Veshapidze, is to be buried next to her husband in the family burial plot. The local Orthodox priest, David Katsitadze, prevents her son from carrying out her last wishes. Katsitadze is supported by Abraam, an Orthodox priest from the Patriarchate in preventing the family from using their own burial plot. Complaints are filed with the local police. Finally, on September 12, Marijan Veshapidze is buried in a different burial plot, contrary to her last wishes.

September 6, 2002

An anti-Witness rally reportedly led by Guram Sharadze begins at 4:00 p.m. in a Varketili schoolyard, with approximately 50-60 persons attending. The rally lasts about two hours. The mob leaves the schoolyard to gather in front of the Witnesses' offices. Outrageous accusations are made against the Witnesses. Religious icons are thrown into their yard, and crosses are painted on their gates. Later that night, stones are thrown at the buildings. Criminal complaints are filed by victims with local police. No charges are laid.

September 3, 2002

In the Varketili region of Tbilisi, Member of Parliament Guram Sharadze, along with approximately 30 followers, comes to the office of Jehovah's Witnesses. He also gathers together about 20 neighbors. He writes down the license plate numbers of the cars belonging to the office and to those working there. He rings the doorbell, but no one answers. He then invites neighbors to come the following Friday to an anti-Witness rally to be held in the schoolyard across the street from the office. The local police are immediately advised of Sharadze's actions. A statement is filed with the police regarding the rally, requesting security measures be taken.

August 25, 2002

In the town of Tskhaltubo, Revaz Adamia attacks Natela Giorkhelidze and Ineza Kintsurashvili while they are carrying on their Christian ministry of teaching people the Bible. He pursues them and takes their bag, which contains personal belongings, religious literature and a Bible. He verbally abuses them and insults them. A criminal complaint is filed by the victims with the local police. No charges are laid.

August 22, 2002

In Napareuli (near Telavi), Nodar Paradashvili, the Gamgebeli (administrator) of the village, verbally abused and insulted Jehovah Witnesses several times. In June, he had ordered two women, Dali Aivazova and Zhana Aivazashvili, to get into his car. He then threatened them, saying that if he ever saw them carrying on their activity as Jehovah's Witnesses again, he would get someone to attack them and undress them. Paradashvili also visited the home where meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses are held and threatened those present that if such meetings continue to be held, he would take action. On August 22, he follows through on his threats and interrupts the religious meeting of the local congregation and abuses and insults all those in attendance. He also threatens the owner of the house. Criminal complaints are filed by the victims with the local police. No charges are laid.

August 19, 2002

In the Gldani region of Tbilisi, two police officers physically attack two individuals who are Jehovah's Witnesses and verbally abuse them because of their faith. A criminal complaint is filed with the General Prosecutor. That same day, Petre (Gia) Ivanidze and ten other followers of Vasili Mkalavishvili go to the apartment of Guram Pachkhatashvili to threaten him that unless he moves away from his home within one month, worse things will happen to him. Guram Pachkhatashvili has been physically assaulted in the past by Ivanidze. (See July 1, 2002.) A criminal complaint is filed by the victim with the General Prosecutor. No charges are laid.

August 15, 2002

Members of the ultra-Orthodox organization "Jvari" and followers of Vasili Mkalavishvili along with local police set up a roadblock on the only road leading to Kaspi from the highway. Journalists, U.S. Embassy representatives, and observers from Human Rights Watch, as well as Jehovah's Witnesses, are prohibited from reaching the convention site until very late in the day. Meanwhile, Parliamentarian Guram Sharadze is allowed to hold a rally against Jehovah's Witnesses in the city of Kaspi.

In the city of Kaspi a little before 1:00 a.m., unidentified individuals steal onto the property of Ushangi Bunturi, where meetings and annual conventions of Jehovah's Witnesses have been held for many years. The intruders douse the site with gasoline and ignite it with a torch before running away. Within seconds, flames engulf everything and reach a height of about 30 feet. More than 250 benches as well as the stage are destroyed. The ensuing blaze destroys equipment to be used for a convention that was to be held on the site the following day. In the evening, while Bunturi and his lawyer are talking with police, a group of followers of Vasili Mkalavishvili arrive. They inform the police that they are planning to stage a rally on the property. The group then ask the police to identify Bunturi so that he could be personally forced to hand over all religious materials on his property. In the evening, while police look on, 30-35 members of "Jvari" arrive and begin ransacking the house, tearing down and burning a wooden fence along with household items and religious literature. Criminal complains are filed with the local Prosecutor.

That same day, in the Varketili region of Tbilisi, Revaz Okriashvili and Badri Kopaliani file a criminal complaint with the Ministry of Interior because two weeks earlier the neighbors signed a statement threatening the local congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses that 'blood will be shed' if they did not stop holding religious meetings. The complaint is forwarded to the city police who investigate the matter and refuse to launch a criminal case.

In another incident on the same date in the village of Ortasheni located near Gori, a busload of members of the ultra-Orthodox organization "Jvari" arrive at the home of Shalva Mamporia, where meetings and conventions of Jehovah's Witnesses have been held for the past several years. The mob chases him down as he tries to flee, and they begin beating him with wooden clubs. At one point during the beating, they discuss killing him if he does not agree to be rebaptized as an adherent of Orthodoxy. While keeping Mamporia locked in a shed, the mob loots his house, destroys it and burns the stage of the convention site, as well as about 50 wooden benches and any religious literature they can find. Criminal complaints are filed by the victim with the local Prosecutor.

August 6, 2002

In the city of Ozurgeti, Nodar Kechaghmadze and Giorgi Arbolashvili are assaulted and severely beaten while carrying on their Christian ministry. They go to the local hospital for a medical examination, and they file criminal complaints with the local police. No charges are laid.

July 31, 2002

In the village of Akura, Vakhtang Omiadze, the Gamgebeli (administrator) of the village, and a mob of about 50 men including the representative of the local church, Mamuka Khatiashvili, return to the place where the local congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses are holding their religious meeting, or services. The intruders intimidate those present and threaten them again, stating that if the congregation continues to i hold meetings there, they will attack the congregation. A criminal complaint is filed by victims with the local police. No charges are laid.

July 28, 2002

In the village of Akura, located near the city of Telavi, Vakhtang Omiadze, the Gamgebeli (administrator) of the village and Mamuka Khatiashvili, a representative of the local church, and others go to the local congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses to threaten them.

July 26, 2002

In the city of Sachkhere, the local priest Avto Tsabadze, who has previously led a mob attack on the local congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses on March 5 and 6, 2001, brings approximately 20 individuals with him to the local courthouse. That day, the trial involving an attack on two of Jehovah's Witnesses by a student of the local Orthodox seminary on November 29, 2001, is scheduled to begin. Several friends of the victims are present. The priest threatens those present and verbally abuses them. He also assaults Roman Mumladze, one of the elders of the local congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses.

July 23, 2002

On this date, 99 victims of attacks by religious extremists, Orthodox clerics and policemen in the former Soviet republic of Georgia file a total of 30 cases with the European Court of Human Rights. All 30 cases were combined into one application, which sets out the systematic refusal by the Georgian State to prosecute those responsible for the attacks.

A motion was also filed with the court asking that these 30 cases be joined to two cases already filed by Jehovah's Witnesses, thus enabling the European Court to address the violations of the European Convention by Georgian law-enforcement officials. If the motion is granted, the European Court will have jurisdiction over 32 cases filed during the last year involving the "culture of impunity" toward religious intolerance and violence permitted by authorities in Georgia.

July 20, 2002

In the village of Chakvi, located near the city of Kobuleti, two individuals accompany Jemal Abuselidze, the director of the Chakvi tourist base, as he attacks the families of Guram Shonia and Kakhaber Chaava, who are living on that base as refugees. Both families are Jehovah's Witnesses. Abuselidze verbally abuses them while he assaults them. He then robs their homes of personal religious literature and burns it publicly. Criminal complaints are filed by the victims. No charges are laid.

July 17, 2002

In the city of Telavi, while Achiko Liluashvili and a friend are peacefully walking to a meeting of the local congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, they are verbally abused and assaulted because of their religious beliefs. They are threatened with worse treatment if they are seen walking in public again. The identity of the attacker is known. A criminal complaint is filed by the victims with local police. No charges are laid.

July 15, 2002

In Chkhorotsku, Iuri Shamatava and members of his family are physically attacked in their home by two drunken men, Mamuka Krilov and Vladimer Mamporia. Family members are also verbally assaulted and threatened with worse treatment if they do not change back to the Orthodox religion. A criminal complaint is filed by the victims. No charges are laid.

On the same date, in the village of Abasha, Lasha Lipartia and six other individuals stop Khvicha Korchilava at the gate of his house and assault him while verbally abusing him. They force him to give them his library of religious literature (about 40 lbs.) that he has in his house. After taking his literature, the attackers burn it. They also threaten him with repercussions should he report the matter to the police. A criminal complaint is later filed by the victim with local police. No charges are laid.

July 14, 2002

In the Vazisubani region of Tbilisi, Besik Gazdeliani, who has already been warned by police not to assault Jehovah's Witnesses (see May 23, 2002), assaults Murtaz Jikia and Gocha Ekizashvili while they are quietly walking along the street. He takes Jikia's religious literature and Bible and destroys the religious literature and keeps the Bible. Criminal complaints are filed by the victims with local police and the General Prosecutor. No charges are laid.

July 10, 2002

In the Nadzaladevi region of Tbilisi, Kirile Kepuladze is walking to his religious meeting when he is attacked and beaten by a neighbor. Other members of Kepuladze's congregation are also assaulted by the same individual. Kepuladze goes to Hospital No. 4 for first-aid assistance and files a criminal complaint with the General Prosecutor. No charges are laid.

July 1, 2002

In the Gldani region of Tbilisi, the police take Guram Pachkhatashvili and his son Gia to the Gldani police station to be interrogated on trumped-up charges of throwing stones at the unfinished church of defrocked Orthodox priest, Vasili Mkalavishvili. The police park their car directly in front of the church. Mkalavishvili is then able to assault Gia (who is not one of Jehovah's Witnesses). The crowd then verbally abuses the men before the police move the car and drive off to the police station. Pachkhatashvili's lawyer tries to contact his client while he is in police custody but is refused access to him. Mkalavishvili leads his mob to the police station where Petre (Gia) Ivanidze viciously assaults Gia, punching him in the neck so severely that he is thrown down breathless. He also assaults Guram Pachkhatashvili as police look on and do nothing to prevent the attack. The police try to pressure Mr. Pachkhatashvili and his son to confess to the trumped-up charges.

On the same day, while Mr. Pachkhatashvili and his son are in police custody and being assaulted by members of the Mkalavishvili mob, other mob members are in an apartment building nearby assaulting and savagely beating Ketino Giguashvili, who has been recognized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses. When neighbors tried to protect her, they are also assaulted by the mob. Criminal complaints are filed by victims with the General Prosecutor. No charges are laid.

June 28, 2002

In the village of Ortasheni, near the city of Gori, arsonists attempt to burn down buildings on the convention site of Jehovah's Witnesses during the night. When a neighbor who hears the noise begins screaming and shouting, the arsonists, after dousing fences and buildings with gas, escape, leaving behind canisters of gas and the bottles used to make Molotov cocktails. The fire that was started is quickly extinguished because of the neighbor's prompt action. This latest arson attempt comes exactly two years after a literature depot of Jehovah's Witnesses in Tbilisi was burned down by arsonists in the middle of the night. In a separate event on May 13, 2001, arsonists set fire to a home where meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses were regularly held after renegade priest Vasili Mkalavishvili warned on live television of further attacks on Jehovah's Witnesses. In that fire, the Shamoyan family of nine barely escaped death. In all these cases of arson and attacks against religious minorities, to this date not one of the perpetrators has been arrested.

On the same date, Temur Tamoev and Majit Ibragimov file criminal complaints with the police regarding the attack by Besik Gazdeliani on. them on May 23, 2002. Instead of opening a criminal case against Gazdeliani, police ask him to sign a statement that he will not repeat his criminal acts.

June 26, 2002

In the city of Didi Chkoni in the Martvili region, Koba Gagua is stopped while cycling to his home and is attacked by Murad Tordinava. He is beaten because he has filed a criminal complaint two years earlier after he and Aleksandre Gegelia were assaulted by the same individual and others (case No. 10). A criminal complaint is filed by the victim with the district Prosecutor's office. No charges are laid.

May 30, 2002

In the city of Zestaponi, Svetlana Sukhiashvili, an elderly woman, is visiting with her neighbor and discussing Bible topics with her when another neighbor, Luiza Peranidze, comes into the house and begins viciously beating Sukhiashvili with a stick so intensely that Sukhiashvili has to go to the local hospital for first-aid treatment. A complaint is filed by the victim with local police. No charges are laid.

May 28, 2002

In the city of Kutaisi, several individuals attack Kakha Kuprava and Mirza Kurashvili when they are peacefully talking with people who wished to discuss the Bible. The group assaults the victims and verbally abuses them. Two of the attackers are identified as being Amiran Zhorzholiani and Nodar Tsulukidze. The victims go to the hospital for a medical examination. Complaints are filed by the victims with the local Prosecutor. No charges are laid.

May 27, 2002

Because of her religious faith, Nana Nanava is publicly insulted and cursed at in the center of the city of Zugdidi by Taliko Kharbedia, who has publicly insulted and abused Jehovah's Witnesses on numerous occasions in the past. Kharbedia claims to have been asked to do so by the Mayor's office. A criminal complaint is filed by the victim with the local Prosecutor. No charges are laid.

May 23, 2002

In the Merve Polki region of Tbilisi, Besik Gazdeliani has on five occasions attacked Jehovah's Witnesses when they were peacefully walking on the street. This time he attacks Temur Tamoev and Majit Ibragimov. The victims file criminal complaints with the police on June 28, 2002. Instead of opening a criminal case against him, police ask him to sign a statement that he will not repeat his criminal acts.

May 7, 2002

In the village of Bershueti near Gori, Shalva Nadibaidze is engaged in his secular work of selling ice cream when he is attacked and severely beaten because he is one of Jehovah's Witnesses. Subsequently, the attacker makes a public apology, and as a result no criminal complaint was filed.

May 5, 2002

In the city of Zestaponi, a car arrives at the home of Zurab Sukhiashvili. Those inside the car threaten and curse the household, saying that if Zurab Sukhiashvili continues to allow religious meetings in his house, there will be serious trouble. A complaint is filed by the victim with the police.

April 28, 2002

In the city of Zestaponi, a local Orthodox clergyman gathers a mob of about 50 people and goes to the home of Zurab Sukhiashvili, where a meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses is about to begin. Individuals are prevented from attending the meeting as the mob enters the private property and begins verbally abusing those present. Finally, the local police arrive and disperse the mob. Criminal complaints are filed by the victims. No charges are laid.

April 26, 2002

In the city of Tskhaltubo, Ketino Vardanidze and Omar Lomaia are attacked by local Orthodox priest Mamuka Margvelashvili. He assaults them, swears at them and verbally abuses them. He also takes their personal belongings. Criminal complaints are filed by victims. No charges are laid.

April 22, 2002

The criminal case of Vasili Mkalavishvili and his codefendant Petre (Gia) Ivanidze, scheduled to take place at 2:00 p.m. in the Didube-Chughureti District Court, once again fails to proceed. The case is postponed until May 16, 2002, as Prosecutor Abashidze fails to appear. The Court gives no reason for his absence. The victims and their lawyers are left unprotected in the courtroom filled with approximately 100 followers of Vasili Mkalavishvili. Many of them are armed with wooden and iron crosses and only six security police are present to preserve order. Those exiting the courtroom are faced with a mob of Mkalavishvili's followers waving flags and banners and using bullhorns to encourage the mob to fight against those of other faiths. All requests, including a written appeal two months ago to the Chairman of the Tbilisi Dighomi Appeal Court, David Sulakvelidze, to guarantee civilized conditions and to strengthen security in the courtroom, remain unanswered to this day.

April 12, 2002

In the village of Variani, near the city of Gori, Manuchar Giorgashvili and Omar Kavelidze, both Jehovah's Witnesses, are verbally abused and assaulted, by Zaza Urjumelashvili while walking along the road. Criminal complaints are filed by the vicitms. No charges are laid.

The criminal trial of Vasili Mkalavishvili and his codefendant, Petre (Gia) Ivanidze, was scheduled to resume today.

April 7, 2002

A mob of around 25 religious extremists armed with clubs and an ax attack a meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses at around 1 p.m. in the Ponichala region of Tbilisi. The attackers assault those in attendance, ransack the private home where the meeting is being held, and make off with religious literature and personal belongings of the owner. Victims identify Vakhtang Dadunadze, a known follower of Vasili Mkalavishvili, among the attackers. Dadunadze has been captured on video footage participating in other brutal attacks. Also identified is Malkhaz Gorgaslidze, a representative of the ultra-Orthodox extremist organization "Jvari." After learning that followers of Mkalavishvili are involved in the attack, police initially refuse to respond. When they finally arrive, they deride the victims, asserting they should not conduct such religious meetings. Criminal complaints are filed by the victims. No charges are laid.

April 3, 2002

In the city of Senaki, Madona Zakaraia and Tamta Gerenava are peacefully walking on the street when they are attacked because they are Jehovah's Witnesses. The attackers, including Soso Sanaia, verbally abuse the women and then assault them and steal their purses. Criminal complaints are filed by the victims. No charges are laid.

March 29, 2002

In the Gldani region of Tbilisi, Elichka Valieva, one of Jehovah's Witnesses, is peacefully walking down the street when she is verbally abused and then assaulted by Lia Akhalkatsi, a follower of renegade Orthodox priest, Vasili Mkalavishvili. Akhalkatsi has participated in several mob attacks against Jehovah's Witnesses. Elichka Valieva receives first aid treatment at the local hospital. A criminal complaint is filed by the victim. No charges are laid.

March 28, 2002

In the city of Tskhaltubo, shortly before a meeting attended by 300 of Jehovah's Witnesses in a community hall located in the center of the city, a mob of about 15 men led by the local priest tries to prevent the meeting from being held. The mob verbally abuses and assaults those present and destroys some property. Police arrive on the scene and send he mob away. Criminal complaints are filed by the victims. No charges are laid.

March 25, 2002

In the village of Pirveli Maisi, near Abasha, Albert Turkia is attacked by four individuals as he is cycling from Samtredia to Pirveli Maisi. He is verbally abused and assaulted because he is one of Jehovah's Witnesses. A criminal complaint is filed with the local police. No charges are laid.

March 17, 2002

In the city of Ozurgeti, a drunken man interrupts the religious services of the local congregation. He threatens those in attendance and asks for money if they want to continue to hold their meetings. In the past, the same individual has broken windows of the home where these meetings are being held. A criminal complaint is filed. No charges are laid.

March 4, 2002

In the Gldani region of Tbilisi, during a meeting of the local congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, a mob led by renegade Orthodox priest Vasili Mkalavishvili gathers at the gate of the property where a religious meeting is being held. Using a loudspeaker, the mob threatens to attack those in attendance. Members of the congregation succeed in fleeing through the back exit. Criminal complaints are filed by the victims. No charges are laid.

March 3, 2002

In Rustavi, Teona Kruashvili and Vakhtang Akopashvili are verbally abused and assaulted by an individual because they are Jehovah's Witnesses. Teona Kruashvili's handbag is stolen. A criminal complaint is filed by the victims with the local police. No charges are laid.

February 27, 2002

The criminal trial of Vasili Mkalavishvili and his codefendant, Petre (Gia) Ivanidze, which was scheduled to resume today, is again postponed until April 12, 2002.

February 22, 2002

In the city of Akhaltsikhe, Konstantine Gachechiladze is attacked while walking peacefully along the street. Four young men, including Avtandil Kapanadze, assault him and verbally abuse him because of his religious beliefs. A complaint is filed by the victim with the local Prosecutor's Office with copies to the General Prosecutor and to the Ombudsman. No charges are laid.

February 14, 2002

The criminal trial of Vasili Mkalavishvili and Petre (Gia) Ivanidze is to resume at 2:00 p.m. today. However it is postponed until 2:00 p.m., February 27, 2002. A lawyer for the victims is present. The defendants did not appear. In both previous attempts to get the case under way, hundreds of followers of Mkalavishvili, carrying wooden and iron crosses and banners with offensive slogans, flooded the courtroom and the exterior of the building. In advance of the last two hearings, lawyers for the victims filed a motion requesting that proper security be provided and that potential weapons and offensive banners be banned from the courtroom. In a bizarre ruling, and with disregard to European Court precedent, Judge Ioseb Chkheidze of the Didube-Chughureti City Court ruled that a maximum of ten security police were to be present. Furthermore he would not place a limit on the number of Mkalavishvili's mob that may enter the courtroom. They would also be permitted to bring their large crosses and banners. Lawyers for the victims declare their intention to appeal the ruling and advise victims and witnesses not to appear. The absence of the victims in the courtroom on February 5, 2002, was misconstrued as the reason why the trial could not be held. Police constables have even visited victims at their homes and, despite the conditions in the courtroom, tried to force them to sign a statement that they would attend the proceedings. International observers have reiterated that the victims' personal safety is paramount and that present conditions in the courtroom amount to their further victimization.

February 10, 2002

In the city of Khashuri, the religious literature of the local congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses is stolen from the home of Tristan Nozadze while he is away. A neighbor noticed the license plate number of the car used during the theft. A statement is filed with the local police, and a copy is sent to the General Prosecutor. Even though police identify the robber, they refuse to open a criminal case. An appeal is filed with the trial court. The local priest admits that he had blessed his parishioners for having stolen the literature and for bringing it to him to be destroyed. However, the court finds that no crime has been committed. After the hearing, the trial judge tells the victim's attorney that he was afraid of repercussions from the priest if he ruled in favor of the victim.

February 9, 2002

In the city of Dusheti, a mob of about 40 men interrupt a meeting of the local congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses. They verbally abuse those in attendance and threaten them. Criminal complaints are filed by the victims. No charges are laid.

February 3, 2002

In the city of Kareli, a policeman named Zaza Bliadze verbally abuses and assaults Kvvtiso Japiashvili and Maradi Tetunashvili while they are speaking to neighbors about the Bible. A complaint is filed by the victims with the Prosecutor. No charges are laid.

January 25, 2002

The trial of renegade priest Vasili Mkalavishvili and his main accomplice, Petre (Gia) Ivanidze, was postponed yesterday as the prosecutor notified the judge that he was unable to appear at the time set by the court. Judge Ioseb Chkheidze, presiding over the trial in the Didube-Chughureti court, orders the parties to return on Tuesday, February 5, 2002, at 2:00 p.m. No sooner does the session end than Mkalavishvili and his followers begin verbally abusing and threatening victims present as well as their lawyers. Many of those present in the courthouse are identified by victims as having participated in mob attacks. Later Mkalavishvili and his adherents hold a demonstration denouncing religious minorities in Georgia and praising efforts to assault members of these minority religions.

December 26, 2001

In Bolnisi, Tamara Shublani, a teacher at the Bolnisi High School No.1, verbally abuses the children of Jehovah's Witnesses because of their religion and their refusal to make the sign of the cross. They are denied a passing grade in one course because they would not answer questions in harmony with the teachings of the Orthodox faith. Complaints are filed with the school authorities, the Minister of Education and the Ombudsman. The Minister of Education ignores the parents' complaints and denies any wrongdoing on the part of Tamara Shublani.

November 29, 2001

In the village of Goris in the Sachkhere region, two of Jehovah's Witnesses, Khatuna Arsenidze and Lamzira Mumladze, are assaulted by Zviad Sheklashvili, a student at a local seminary. The victims file criminal complaints.

November 26, 2001

In Tsageri, the director of the high school, Nunu Chakvetadze, verbally abuses children whose parents are Jehovah's Witnesses and threaten that if the children do not make the sign of the cross, they will be dismissed. When the parents met the Director of the Educational Department of the Tsageri region, Gulver Bregvadze, he repeats what Nanu Chakvetadze has said and adds that the children of Jehovah's Witnesses should not be near Orthodox children.

October 31, 2001

In Rustavi, Paata Bluashvili, leader of the Orthodox extremist group "Jvari," and three other members attack four individuals who are walking peacefully along the road. They assault them physically and verbally and steal their religious literature. A criminal complaint is filed with the local Prosecutor's Office and to the General Prosecutor.

October 27, 2001

Zakro Papinashvili, who threatened violence against Jehovah's Witnesses on October 25, 2002, threatens violent action against Giorgi Beriashvili, owner of the house where meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses are regularly held, if the meetings continue. Although the victim files a complaint, no action is taken.

October 25, 2001

In Kaspi, Zakro Papinashvili, Gela Demetrashvili and Rezo Ksoveli threaten to attack the local congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses if meetings continued to be held. A criminal complaint is filed by the victims. No charges are laid.

October 24, 2001

In Samtredia, a mob accompanied by an Orthodox clergyman tries to disrupt a meeting of the local congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses and threaten to attack if the meetings continue to be held.

October 21, 2001

Member of the Parliament of Georgia, Zurab Kapianidze, admits to being a member of the ultra-extremist lay organization "Jvari," an organization responsible for numerous vicious attacks on Jehovah's Witnesses in the cities of Rustavi and Marneuli. He also openly advocates the 'religious cleansing' of Georgia. According to an article published today in the newspaper Akhali Taoba, Mr. Kapianidze stated the following in an interview: "If I had the right, I would drive all Jehovists out of Georgia." Over 36,000 citizens of Georgia have attended meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses.

October 11, 2001

Mirian Arabidze, a victim of a mob attack on a congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Gldani region of Tbilisi, is fully exonerated by Georgia's highest court. The three-member body of the Chamber for Criminal cases of the Supreme Court needs only moments after hearing arguments and viewing video footage of the attack to render its decision. Two years ago, Mirian Arabidze and 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."

Today's ruling annuls 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 Prosecutor's Office are cooperating with the religious extremists who carried out the attack. The issue of prosecuting the perpetrators of the 1999 Gldani attack is presently before the European Court of Human Rights.

October 5, 2001

In an interview with the newspaper Akhali Era published today, renegade Orthodox priest Vasili Mkalavishvili openly calls for the harassment of Roman Catholics along with Jehovah's Witnesses, stating: "They [the Catholics] slowly but surely take root and if we don't oppress them, they will multiply like the Jehovists and become just as aggressive as they are toward Orthodoxy."

October 1, 2001

In an interview with the newspaper Asaval-Dasavali, renegade Orthodox priest Vasili Mkalavishvili openly threatens the Georgian Ministry of Education to dismiss all teachers who are Jehovah's Witnesses, stating: "I officially warn the Ministry of Education - Fire teachers, who are Jehovah's Witnesses, or else I will drive [them] out myself!"

September 30, 2001

About 1:00 p.m. in the city of Rustavi, around 14 men, members of the ultra-Orthodox extremist lay organization "Jvari," attack a meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses in the city of Rustavi, assaulting those in attendance and stealing literature. According to eyewitnesses, "Jvari" leader Paata Bluashvili personally assaults one of the victims and boasts: "Now go and file a complaint; I'm not scared." Criminal complaints are filed by the victims. According to statements of victims, members of "Jvari" also participated in Friday's criminal attacks by religious extremists in which they were allowed to close a main road, assault Jehovah's Witnesses traveling to a convention, and destroy their vehicles. That same morning, using sawed-off shotguns and other firearms, they ransacked the convention site of Jehovah's Witnesses in the neighboring city of Marneuli, injuring dozens of delegates in the process.

September 28, 2001

Early this morning religious extremists mounted a citywide orchestrated attack on Jehovah's Witnesses traveling to their annual religious convention in the adjacent city of Marneuli. The mob of some 100 attackers, many in masks, close a main thoroughfare. They stop the buses carrying delegates, drag the people out by the hair, throw them to the ground and kick them, punch them, and beat them with clubs. Women, children and the elderly are not spared. At least one bus and numerous cars carrying delegates are also seriously damaged in the process.

The attackers then head to the convention site in Marneuli, where they continue the rampage. They trash the convention site and a private residence and burn up the benches and religious literature in a bonfire. The attack is led by renegade Orthodox priest Vasili Mkalavishvili and his main associate, Petre (Gia) Ivanidze. Despite organizing and participating in dozens of attacks against religious minorities over a period of two years, neither of these men has ever been taken into custody.

Jehovah's 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. However during today's attack, victims who manage to get to police stations are derided by police officers and told that this matter is not a police affair. Police in Marneuli merely watch as the convention site is being trashed, but they make no attempt to intervene. Criminal complaints are filed by the victims.

September 24, 2001

Renegade Orthodox priest Vasili Mkalavishvili leads a protest march on government buildings in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi. The 50 or so protesters demand that Orthodoxy be declared the State religion and that all sects be banned, stating: "If the government does not stop the actions of sects who blaspheme the holy spirit, then the Gldani Eparchy will take up arms." Members of the ultra-Orthodox extremist lay organization "Jvari" also participate in the protest. Many in the mob of protesters are identified by victims as perpetrators of previous criminal assaults against Jehovah's Witnesses and other religious minorities.

August 28, 2001

The ultra-Orthodox extremist lay organization "Jvari" organizes a demonstration in the city of Rustavi. The mob of 30 demand that Orthodoxy be declared the State religion and that all sects be banned. In a television interview during the protest, "Jvari" leader Paata Bluashvili openly admits to using violence to oppose religious minorities. Despite being identified by victims and eyewitnesses as personally participating in numerous vicious assaults on Jehovah's Witnesses over the last few months, Bluashvili and other "Jvari" members have never been taken into custody by police.

August 16, 2001

Jehovah's Witnesses in Georgia file their second application in two months with the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The latest application challenges a February 22, 2001, ruling by the Supreme Court of Georgia, which Georgian Minister of Justice Mikheil Saakashvili later referred to 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, the 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. Since the ruling of the Supreme Court, there have been many violent attacks on Jehovah's Witnesses, as Orthodox extremists perceive it as a signal from the government that they may persecute Jehovah's Witnesses with impunity.

August 12, 2001

Around noon, a mob of Orthodox extremists break down the door of the apartment of Jimsher Gogelashvili in the city of Rustavi, where a religious meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses is being conducted. The mob of 15 men, led by Paata Bluashvili and Mamuka Chupabria, seize literature and personal belongings of the approximately 70 Jehovah's Witnesses gathered there, most of whom are women and children. According to eyewitnesses, the mob then proceeds to beat those in attendance with clubs and metal pipes. Seven of the victims require medical treatment for blows to the head and the body. The mob trashes chairs, furniture and equipment and then seizes religious literature and burns it in a bonfire on the street outside. Some of the victims make it to nearby police stations, where the police categorically refuse to help. Criminal complaints are filed by the victims. This is the fourth attack by Orthodox extremists in the city of Rustavi this year.

July 24, 2001

Jehovah's Witnesses in Georgia distribute an open letter to all members of Parliament. The letter points to the fact that during the last year and a half, there have been more than 80 violent attacks against Jehovah's Witnesses, many of which were mob attacks led by religious extremists, Orthodox priests, and State officials, including policemen. Jehovah's Witnesses have filed more than 400 criminal complaints, but none of the attackers have been convicted, even though the perpetrators are often easily identifiable in televised news broadcasts. Attached to the letter are photographs of victims of attacks during the last few months. Jehovah's Witnesses appeal to the deputies, requesting: "Exercise the power vested in you as parliamentarians to compel State agencies to uphold the law and the Constitution."

July 11, 2001

At 7:45 p.m., about 25 followers of defrocked priest Vasili Mkalavishvili again violently disrupt a peaceful religious meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses. In the Temka region of Tbilisi, about 30 visitors in an apartment on the fourth floor of a five-story building are in the midst of a Bible discussion when the mob storms the staircase and smashes the door in with a sledgehammer. Once inside, the intruders start beating all in attendance, most of them women and children, with clubs studded with nails. Several suffer serious injuries and receive urgent medical aid in a nearby hospital. The leader, Vasili Mkalavishvili, is seen near the entrance of the building in one of the vehicles belonging to the gang. At least four of the attackers – Vakhtang Dadunadze, Zura Lomtatidze, Bela Vacheishvili and Lia Akhalkatsi – are identified by the victims. Criminal complaints are filed by the victims. No charges are laid.

July 9, 2001

Defrocked priest Vasili Mkalavishvili and about 15 of his followers disrupt a religious meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses in the village of Ortasheni, near Gori. Although he curses and threatens those in attendance, he is thwarted in his efforts to gain entry to the private home where the meeting has been taking place. The residents refuse to allow him entry through a locked gate. Three days earlier he had come to the same residence and threatened the owner that his property would be completely destroyed if he allowed Jehovah's Witnesses to continue meeting in his home.

The disruption of the meeting in Gori comes on the same day as a radio interview with President Eduard Shevardnadze during which he responds to questions about the government's reaction to a petition calling on the government to put an end to religiously motivated violence. The petition, circulated by Jehovah's Witnesses, was signed by more than 130,000 Georgian citizens. The President states that the law-enforcement agencies were ordered to study the facts presented in the petition. Referring specifically to Vasili Mkalavishvili, Shevardnadze states that the task of the law-enforcement bodies is to uphold the law and to prevent human rights infringements.

July 2, 2001

The European Court of Human Rights quickly responds to an application filed against Georgia on Friday by Jehovah's Witnesses. Referring to the President of the Judicial Chamber, the Court's registrar wrote: "Having regard to the subject matter of the case, the President was of the opinion that the case should be given priority." The application challenges the inaction of law-enforcement agencies that has led to a campaign of terror against Jehovah's Witnesses. After more than 70 violent attacks against the Witnesses, not one of the perpetrators has been prosecuted and convicted, even though the identity of many of the attackers is well known.

June 29, 2001

After almost two years of inaction and lack of prosecution on the part of Georgia's Prosecutor's Office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Jehovah's Witnesses file an application with the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France. 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 Jehovah's Witnesses. Eyewitnesses reported that the attack was carried out by defrocked Orthodox priest Vasili Mkalavishvili and his followers. More than 70 similar attacks have been carried out against Jehovah's Witnesses since the Gldani mobbing.

June 17, 2001

At 11:45 a.m., 86 members of the Ortachala Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses in Tbilisi experience a brutal attack by a mob of about 50 or 60. Victims identify Petre (Gia) Ivanidze, Nodar Aslanashvili, Vakhtang Dadunadze, Mamuka Kartozia and Zura Lomtatidze, known followers of defrocked priest Vasili Mkalavishvili who have participated in such attacks in the past. Smashing down the front door and breaking windows, the mob gains entry to the private home where the religious meeting is being held. Several items of furniture, personal belongings, and hundreds of pieces of Bible literature are seized and are taken outside and burned. Women are ordered to remove their shoes. The attackers then steal the shoes, along with money and other valuables. Children run screaming for cover as they watch their fathers being beaten with wooden clubs. One woman has her dress ripped by an attacker who then threatens to strip her and parade her naked in the street. Giorgi Kiknavelidze, along with a number of others, requires medical treatment for bleeding and bruising after being severely beaten. Nana Robakidze, a mother of three, is badly shaken as she tries to protect her three-year-old daughter, Tamuna, who has a heart defect. Two police officers who arrive at the scene are reported as saying: "If we had known that this was an attack on you people we would not have bothered to come." Criminal complaints are filed by the victims. No charges are laid.

June 8, 2001

A mob of 30 led by two Orthodox priests, Gocha Tsaava and Giorgi Basilaia, attacks a meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses in the western Georgian city of Martvili. The mob assaults two women, beating one with a stick and striking the other in the face while the priests look on. These same priests attempt to force another woman to kiss a cross. Police come to the scene but refuse to intervene. This is the sixth attack on Jehovah's Witnesses led by Orthodox priests this year and comes the same day as Dilis gazeti prints a statement by the Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church. It says: "The Georgian Church works within those bounds that are acceptable to the Orthodox Church, which is peaceful treatment."

May 20, 2001

In what is becoming a weekly ritual of violence, a mob of 30 Orthodox extremists, known followers of defrocked Orthodox priest Vasili Mkalavishvili, force their way into an apartment in the Mukhiani region of Tbilisi where about 60 of Jehovah's Witnesses are meeting together. The attackers viciously assault those in attendance, including a pregnant woman, and ransack the apartment in the process. Victims suffer multiple bruising including facial and head injuries. Police detain five of the attackers and release them shortly thereafter. Criminal complaints are filed by the victims. No charges are laid.

May 13, 2001

Following public threats a day and a half earlier by defrocked Orthodox priest Vasili Mkalavishvili, the home of the Shamoyan family, a well-known family of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Samgori region of Tbilisi, is burned down while the occupants are asleep inside. The family barely makes it to safety.

May 7, 2001

Around 6:00 p.m. in the city of Rustavi, a mob of religious extremists go to a home where a meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses is taking place and demand that those in attendance open the door. When this is not done, they attempt to break down the door. They eventually leave. The lock on the door is so badly damaged that it is impossible to open the door even from the inside. Police are informed but refuse to help, accusing the victims of violating public order by meeting in their own homes.

May 2, 2001

Zviad Dzadzamia, a victim of the vicious attack on a congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses the previous day, is dismissed from his place of work after his employer watched television coverage of the attack and saw him. The employer cites as a reason for the dismissal his fear that defrocked priest Vasili Mkalavishvili's mob will attack his store if they find out that one of Jehovah's Witnesses works there.

April 30, 2001

Men, women and children are attacked during a peaceful religious meeting in the Svanetisubani region of Tbilisi by a mob of Orthodox extremists wielding clubs studded with nails. According to eyewitnesses, a Member of Parliament, Jemal Gamakharia, is present during the attack. Those in attendance are violently dragged outside and beaten. Tamaz Nachkebia is attacked so viciously that he suffers a concussion and requires five stitches to close a deep gash on the head. According to Zviad Dzadzamia, another victim who sustains injuries, the victims are told by Member of Parliament Gamakharia: "You received what you deserve, and worse is yet to come." The mob, made up of followers of defrocked priest Vasili Mkalavishvili, also ransacks the home where the meeting was taking place. The furniture and electrical equipment are destroyed, and all the windows are broken. Religious literature and benches are taken outside and burned in a large bonfire. Police arrive after the mob leaves and blame the victims for holding religious meetings. This is 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, films the attack. Other members of the mob wear masks to hide their identity. However, some of these masks come off during the attack, and attackers are easily recognized. Victims identify them as members of Mkalavishvili's mob. Criminal complaints are filed by the victims. No charges are laid.

April 29, 2001

Three attacks take place across Georgia in what appears to be an organized effort by religious extremists to terrorize Jehovah's Witnesses. In the eastern city of Rustavi, a mob of 15 men assaults a group of Jehovah's Witnesses meeting together. Those in attendance are forced to escape through the window. The mob follows them onto the street, rips their bags, destroys their literature and assaults one of them, Ilia Eterishvili. Later in the day in the Mukhiani region of Tbilisi, a mob of 20 men, thought to be followers of defrocked priest Vasili Mkalavishvili, go to the home of a family of Jehovah's Witnesses. No one is at home at the time. The mob breaks down the locked door and ransacks the house, breaking all the windows, housewares, and electrical equipment. The intruders then make off with all literature in the house and burn it on the street. The police are called, but when they arrive they simply state that the family got what it deserved. In the city of Poti, the police intervene to prevent a mob of 40 followers of Mkalavishvili from attacking two different meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses. However, no one in the mob is arrested, and the police allow the mob to burn religious literature of Jehovah's Witnesses on the street.

April 17, 2001

Arno Tüngler, international representative of Jehovah's Witnesses, is denied entry to Georgia as a representative of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania despite being in possession of official accreditation issued by the Ministry of Justice of Georgia. Officials at the Tbilisi airport deny him a visa and force him to take the next flight out of Georgia.

April 7, 2001

A mob of 20 men led by Paata Bluashvili, assistant director of the Rustavi marketplace 'Istanbul,' attacks a meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses. The mob ransacks the apartment where the meeting is being held, destroying equipment and looting literature and personal belongings. Neighbors who try to intervene in behalf of Jehovah's Witnesses are beaten. The mob then turns on the Witnesses and assaults them. Upon exiting the building, the mob makes a bonfire, burning the religious literature taken from the Witnesses. This is the second time in less than two weeks that Paata Bluashvili has led an attack against Jehovah's 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 Paata Bluashvili. When the victims inform the police after this attack, the police accuse them of violating public order by meeting together in their own homes. Criminal complaints are filed by the victims.

April 1, 2001

In the village of Dviri, in the region of Borjomi, about midday, a group of Jehovah's Witnesses are returning from a religious meeting when they encounter a mob of around 15 local residents. The mob is led by the deputy administrator of the city of Borjomi, Soso Khutsishvili, and the chief administrator of the village of Dviri, Jemal Bibiluri, as well as by Beglar Kevlishvili, an ex-convict. Kevlishvili physically assaults one of the Witnesses, Boris Gogoladze, hitting him in the face and stealing his briefcase, which contains a Bible and other religious literature, as well as personal items. Kevlishvili then physically assaults the four Witness women in the group, whipping them with the strap from Gogoladze's briefcase. Khutsishvili and Bibiluri are present throughout the assault and join in the verbal abuse of the Witnesses. Eventually, they tell the attacker that it is enough, and the mob leaves.

Later in the day, Beglar Kevlishvili meets another woman who is also one of Jehovah's Witnesses, and he strikes her twice in the face using the Bible he had stolen earlier in the day and threatens to kill her. During the attack, one of her eyes is injured. Criminal complaints are filed by the victims. No charges are laid.

March 28, 2001

In the city of Rustavi, religious extremists burn Bibles and religious literature of Jehovah's Witnesses. An estimated ten men gathered in an open-air public market and torched the literature. Five of the men are identified as the ones who the previous day had broken up a meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses in a private home, ransacked the premises, and stole this literature along with 300 Georgian lari ($145.00 U.S.) as well as the title deed to the home.

March 27, 2001

A mob of 30 men led by an Orthodox priest, "Father Teimuraz," breaks up a meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses in Rustavi and ransacks the private home where they are gathered. The intruders destroy equipment, throw personal property out the windows, and steal 300 Georgian lari ($145.00 U.S.) and the deed to the home. Police stand and watch as the thieves make off with personal property. Criminal complaints are filed by the victims.

March 16, 2001

Renegade priest Vasili Mkalavishvili and a mob of his followers seize several thousand Bible-based brochures from a printery located in the Samto Chemical building in Tbilisi and burn them publicly outside the building. As reported by Rustavi 2 TV, police stand by and watch, making no attempt to intervene. Only after the literature is completely burned do police alert the fire department.

That same evening, in a live television broadcast, Mkalavishvili renews his threats of violence against Jehovah's Witnesses, Baptists, and other religious minorities.

March 6, 2001

Once again in the city of Sachkhere as the day before, four Orthodox priests lead a mob of about 150 men on a violent rampage against Jehovah's Witnesses. According to Aleksi Ichkitidze, one of Jehovah's Witnesses living in Sachkhere, a mob led by the priest Avto Tsabadze and fellow priest Bartholomew of the parish of the nearby village of Chorvila invade his home and viciously assault him and a visiting friend, Savle Gotsadze. Then, with the participation of the priest, the invaders savagely beat Ichkitidze's wife, Nana. The mob then targets an adjacent apartment on the same property, where religious meetings are held, breaks in through a window, loots the premises, and burns the religious literature from the apartment. The priest-led mob goes on a rampage through the city. The mob finds a local Witness at his workplace and beats him. Witness passengers in a car are able to escape on foot as the mob damages and loots the vehicle. This is the second day of such attacks by the same four Orthodox priests with Avto Tsabadze in the lead. The mayor and the local police refuse to intervene. Amiran Macharashvili, the local deputy police chief, and A. Tsutskiridze, the local prosecutor, threaten that there will be further attacks. Even though this and similar recent attacks on Jehovah's Witnesses are brought to the attention of the authorities, no one is arrested. Criminal complaints are filed by the victims. No charges are laid.

March 5, 2001

Four Orthodox priests in the city of Sachkhere lead a mob of about 20 men in an attack on Jehovah's Witnesses meeting on private property. Four Witnesses are physically assaulted. Criminal complaints are filed by the victims. No charges are laid.

February 27, 2001

Five days after the Georgia Supreme Court dismissed the appeal of the decision to annul the registration of two associations of Jehovah's Witnesses, the defrocked Orthodox priest Vasili Mkalavishvili and his followers attack a group of families of Jehovah's Witnesses meeting in a private home for Bible study. A police officer shows his badge and then opens the gate, allowing the extremists to surge into the yard. Women, children and the elderly are forced to flee the attackers. The police shout verbal abuses, after which the mob loots the residence.

February 22, 2001

The Supreme Court of Georgia upholds the Tbilisi District Court's (Appeal Chamber) decision to annul the registrations of the two associations of Jehovah's Witnesses. Georgia's Minister of Justice, Mikheil Saakashvili, comments: "From a legal standpoint the decision is very dubious," adding, "I don't think it's a very successful page in the history of the Supreme Court."

Although the Court states emphatically that this ruling does not mean that the religious activity of Jehovah's Witnesses has been declared illegal, Parliamentarian Koba Davitashvili expresses concern that "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."

February 13, 2001

The petition signed by more than 133,000 citizens of Georgia is submitted to President Eduard Shevardnadze through the State Chancellery. 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 ongoing unpunished violence. What prompted the petition was the violence that defrocked priest Vasili Mkalavishvili and his followers have carried out against Jehovah's 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.

February 10, 2001

As Besik Bazadze and David Nozadze (15 and 16 years old) walk past a police station in Kutaisi, two policemen tell them to come into the station and ask them who they are, how old they are, and what they are doing. The police then take the boys' bags and remove the religious publications. At this time, another policeman enters the room and assaults them physically and then forces them to burn their literature. The policemen threaten Bazadze and Nozadze with incarceration in a cell. Another policeman then enters and orders them released. The policemen involved eventually formally apologize to the victims.

February 6, 2001

Twelve volumes of a petition, stolen during an attack on a press conference at the Ombudsman's office on January 22, 2001, are returned by the Prosecutor's Office.

February 5, 2001

Despite being told not to return to the house, Orthodox priest John returns to the home of Khvtiso Japiashvili, in the village of Takhtisdziri, in the Kareli, region during a congregation meeting. He interrupts the meeting and physically assaults some in attendance. He threatens to take further measures against them if they do not stop the meetings. A complaint is filed with the district police. No action is taken.

January 29, 2001

An Orthodox priest, John, goes to the house of Khvtiso Japiashvili, in the village of Tachtisdziri, Kareli region, where the local congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses is meeting. He interrupts the meeting and threatens those in attendance and warns everyone to stop holding such meetings. After some discussion, he forcibly tries to steal some of the publications to burn them. He does succeed in taking some of the congregation forms and ripping them. He is told by Japiashvili not to return to the house.

At about 7 p.m., a 22-year-old Jehovah's Witness walking from the village of Ochmi to the village of Lamiskana is kidnapped by four men and driven to the place where the inhabitants of the Lamiskana village come to worship. There, the men threaten to kill him if he refuses to do what he is told. He is commanded to cross himself and walk around the site carrying an icon. When he refuses, they take him into the forest and begin to kick and punch him. They steal his personal possessions and his wallet with its contents. They also take his religious literature. They then threaten to rape him if he does not do as he is told, and they begin to execute their threat. They then take the belt from his coat and tie it around his neck and pull him with the belt and by his hair, forcing him to crawl while they are pushing his face against the "sacred" rock in order to force him to kiss it. At about 9:30 p.m., they take him back, threaten to harm him should he be seen in the village again, and warn him not to talk about these events to anyone.

January 23, 2001

A press conference is held by Ombudsman Nana Devdariani at her office, in which she condemns the assault on her office the previous day as well as the ongoing violence by Vasili Mkalavishvili and suggests that the police are actively cooperating with him.

January 22, 2001

About noon, two women exit a vehicle and assault two female Jehovah's Witnesses who are walking down the street. Vasili Mkalavishvili then exits this same car and tells the two attackers to drag the victims into the car. At this, fearing that they will be kidnapped, the victims release their handbags. The attackers make off with the purses, which contain the victims' personal documents, and flee the scene in the car they came in.

Religious extremists storm a press conference being held at the Office of the Ombudsman of Georgia. Vasili Mkalavishvili and ten of his followers enter the premises without prior permission or invitation and forcibly take over the meeting. Over 130,000 Georgians have signed a petition prepared by Jehovah's Witnesses on violence against minorities. Mkalavishvili and his followers forcibly wrest 12 of the 14 volumes of signatures away from the organizers and flee with them.

At around 5:00 p.m., Mkalavishvili and more than 70 of his followers enter the building at 37 Abashidze St. in the Vake region of Tbilisi and try to enter an apartment where meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses are sometimes held. The family sees through the peephole that Mkalavishvili and his mob are standing side by side with the police, so they refuse to open the door for the police.

Later that evening, Mkalavishvili and a mob of his followers attack a meeting of 70 Jehovah's Witnesses who are attending a religious service held in a private home. All in attendance, including women, children and elderly ones, are punched, kicked, and beaten with wooden and iron crosses. A 12-year-old boy is hit over the head with a large Georgian Bible and a 14-year-old is punched and kicked repeatedly by two adult men. The mob also steals religious literature and personal property from those in attendance. The police finally come. They call the victims "Satanists" and "Traitors of their forefathers." The local inspector, Omar Gochiashvili, tells the victims: "I warned you."

January 20, 2001

The campaign to collect signatures as part of a petition to the President and Parliament of Georgia to take steps to put an end to the ongoing violence against Jehovah's Witnesses and other minorities in Georgia ends. During the campaign, 133,375 signatures are collected, of which more than 100,000 belong to citizens of the Orthodox faith, who are appalled at the illegal acts of extremists and the inaction of the law enforcement officials.

January 16, 2001

The appeal by Jehovah's Witnesses of the June 26, 2000, Appeal Court decision is heard in the Supreme Court of Georgia. After the oral argument of the appellants is heard, the hearing is adjourned until February 20, 2001, and the plaintiffs are served with materials for their perusal. Once again a mob of Mkalavishvili's followers gathers around the courthouse in support of Guram Sharadze. In the evening, Vasili Mkalavishvili states, on the television program "Specter Studio" on Channel "Kavkasia," that he will continue with his struggle against Jehovah's Witnesses.

January 8, 2001

A campaign begins to collect signatures as part of a petition to the President and Parliament of Georgia to take steps to put an end to the ongoing violence against Jehovah's Witnesses and other minorities in Georgia.

January 6, 2001

At around 12 noon, Omar Gochiashvili, a local area police officer, and his assistant visit 9 Verkhana Alley, where a meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses is in progress. Mr. Gochiashvili states that he cannot stand Jehovah's Witnesses and requests a legal document stating that Jehovah's Witnesses are allowed to hold congregation meetings. Those present point out to him the guarantee of freedom of religion in the Constitution of Georgia. In response he curses President Shevardnadze and the Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church and repeats his demand for a legal document permitting the holding of a religious assembly.

January 4, 2001

Vasili Mkalavishvili and a few women parishioners come to the home of Ketevan Sekhniashvili and Tina Bakhtadze, located at 9 Verkhana Alley, Tbilisi, where Jehovah's Witnesses hold some meetings. They demand that meetings no longer be held there and then leave, threatening to return.

That very evening a mob of Mkalavishvili's adherents come to the home of the Mikirtumov family in Tbilisi, with the same demands and the same threats, stating that they do not allow meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses. They force neighbors nearby to make the sign of the cross, so as to be sure that they are not Jehovah's Witnesses.

December 26, 2000

Again, as was done on December 19, a mob of followers of Vasili Mkalavishvili go to the home of Guram Markozashvili during his absence. From outside the gate, they demand to speak with him and threaten the children who are outside that if he did not come out, they would cut him up into little pieces. The terrified children quickly enter the house and lock the doors, after which the mob leaves. When Markozashvili learns of the attack on his house, he returns home along with some police officers. By the time they get to the house, the mob has left. The policemen are upset that they have come in vain and threaten Markozashvili that if he desires the death of his children, then he should continue conducting meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses in his home.

As they had done in the past, a mob of around 100 followers of Mkalavishvili comes to attack the congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses at 19 Knoleva St. The mob forcibly enters the premises where meetings are usually held, but only the owner, who is not one of Jehovah's Witnesses, is there. They force him to hand over all Witness literature that was there and to burn it publicly. They categorically forbid the owner of the apartment to allow Jehovah's Witnesses to hold religious meetings there in the future and force him to sign a statement to that effect.

December 20, 2000

The hearing by the Supreme Court of the appeal of Jehovah's Witnesses regarding the registration of two of their organizations is to be heard. Guram Sharadze's lawyer, however, makes a motion to postpone the hearing, claiming that she is too sick to proceed. Her motion is granted and the hearing is postponed until January 16, 2001. Afterwards, Sharadze speaks with the mob of Mkalavishvili's followers that has gathered outside the courthouse.

December 19, 2000

A mob of around 100 followers of Vasili Mkalavishvili attempt to force their way into the home of Guram Markozashvili, who is absent at the time. His children who are at home, though terrified, do not open the door. After a few attempts to enter, the mob leaves. Along the way the group meet the owner, G. Markozashvili, and assault him physically. They then try to force him to sign a document stating that meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses would no longer be conducted in his home. Some police officers witness the scene but do not attempt to prevent the beating or assist the victim.

On this same day a mob of around 100 followers of Vasili Mkalavishvili attack a meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses taking place at 19 Knoleva St. The attackers use force in their attempt to enter the building where the meeting is taking place. Using threats and verbal abuse, they demand that the Bible literature be brought out and burned by Jehovah's Witnesses themselves. The mob's attempts to force their way into the building continue unsuccessfully for about one hour, after which they leave.

December 15, 2000

A group of approximately 40 Jehovah's Witnesses from the Adigeni, Aspindza, and Akhaltsikhe regions are guests in the home of S. Modebadze in the village of Uraveli. Around 4:30 p.m., Ilia Kapanadze, who appears intoxicated, enters the home shouting and cursing. At the same time, more than 100 people have already gathered around the house. Screaming, they verbally abuse, threaten, and insult those in the house, throwing rocks at them. Some of the guests are forced to get out of the house through the windows, while others exit through the main door. A mob of the attackers follows and assaults them physically while cursing them. The pursuers trap the Witnesses at the Uraveli bridge, surround them and assault them physically, kicking the men and women repeatedly. The attackers then threaten the Witnesses that they will be killed should they be seen in the village of Uraveli again. Many of the attackers can be identified by name. A collective complaint is submitted to the chief of the Akhaltsikhe region. However no charges are laid.