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YERKIR'S APPEAL TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
armradio.am
03.06.2008 11:07
Alarmed on the recent developments around the "Norashen" Armenian
church in Tbilisi, Georgia, "Yerkir" Union has prepared an appeal
addressed to the international community. The letters containing
appeal were delivered to the state bodies of Georgia (President,
Prime Minister, Chairman of the Parliament, State Minister for
the Reintegration Issues, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of
Education and Science, Minister of Internal Affairs, Minister of
Culture, Monument Protection and Sport), Catholicos-Patriarch of All
Georgia, human rights defender of Georgia, embassies of European Union,
France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Swiss Confederation, United Kingdom,
USA, Vatican, representations of the Council of Europe in Georgia,
United Nations, OSCE, human rights organizations and NGO's operating
in Georgia.
The letter states:
"Although Georgia has joined and ratified numerous international
documents on freedom of thought, conscience and religion, the
situation regarding the protection of religious rights of minorities
is distressing.
In comparison with the Georgian Orthodox Church, other religious
confessions, and, particularly, Armenian Apostolic and Roman Catholic
Churches (AAC and RCC respectively) in Georgia continually suffer from
discrimination: they do not have a status of public legal entity,
their churches, nationalized by the Soviet regime, 17 years after
the destruction of the Soviet Union still remain unreturned to their
legitimate owners.
The Armenian Apostolic Church demands return of "Norashen", "Surb
Nshan", "Shamkhoretsots Surb Astvadzadzin", "Mughno Surb Gevorg", "Surb
Minas" churches in Tbilisi, and "Surb Nshan" church in Akhaltsikhe.
Numerous international organizations, human rights institutes are
acknowledging the legitimacy of these religious claims and continually
recommending the Georgian government to solve these issues.
The UN Human Rights Committee in its 91st session (October 15-16th,
2007) considering the third periodic report on Georgia about how that
State Party is fulfilling its obligations, under the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, called upon Georgian
authorities
1. To take steps to ensure equal enjoyment of the right of freedom
of religion or belief and ensure that its legislation and practices
conform fully with the international standards
2. To address the problems related to the confiscation of places of
worship and related properties of religious minorities.
The issue of registration of the AAC and RCC and return of their
property is also raised in the US department's International Religious
Freedom Reports (2005-07), in the Georgian Ombudsman's reports and
various other documents.
In spite of all these recommendations and appeals, the Georgian
Government continues its discriminatory policy, the apparent
manifestation of which is the recent crisis over the "Norashen"
Armenian Church in Tbilisi. Father Tariel Sikinchelashvili, a senior
priest of the Georgian Orthodox Church, has initiated construction
works on the immediate proximity of "Norashen" and temporarily halted
them down after the insistence and public protests of the Armenian
community.
To clarify the situation, on May 21-22, the fact finding group of
"Yerkir" Union of NGO's has visited Tbilisi. During the interview
with Father Tariel we have found out that the construction works he
was carrying were authorized by the municipality of Tbilisi.
And although the construction of the surrounding fence (carrying
Georgian religious symbols) has been suspended, it still continues
in the inner yard of the church."
armradio.am
03.06.2008 11:07
Alarmed on the recent developments around the "Norashen" Armenian
church in Tbilisi, Georgia, "Yerkir" Union has prepared an appeal
addressed to the international community. The letters containing
appeal were delivered to the state bodies of Georgia (President,
Prime Minister, Chairman of the Parliament, State Minister for
the Reintegration Issues, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of
Education and Science, Minister of Internal Affairs, Minister of
Culture, Monument Protection and Sport), Catholicos-Patriarch of All
Georgia, human rights defender of Georgia, embassies of European Union,
France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Swiss Confederation, United Kingdom,
USA, Vatican, representations of the Council of Europe in Georgia,
United Nations, OSCE, human rights organizations and NGO's operating
in Georgia.
The letter states:
"Although Georgia has joined and ratified numerous international
documents on freedom of thought, conscience and religion, the
situation regarding the protection of religious rights of minorities
is distressing.
In comparison with the Georgian Orthodox Church, other religious
confessions, and, particularly, Armenian Apostolic and Roman Catholic
Churches (AAC and RCC respectively) in Georgia continually suffer from
discrimination: they do not have a status of public legal entity,
their churches, nationalized by the Soviet regime, 17 years after
the destruction of the Soviet Union still remain unreturned to their
legitimate owners.
The Armenian Apostolic Church demands return of "Norashen", "Surb
Nshan", "Shamkhoretsots Surb Astvadzadzin", "Mughno Surb Gevorg", "Surb
Minas" churches in Tbilisi, and "Surb Nshan" church in Akhaltsikhe.
Numerous international organizations, human rights institutes are
acknowledging the legitimacy of these religious claims and continually
recommending the Georgian government to solve these issues.
The UN Human Rights Committee in its 91st session (October 15-16th,
2007) considering the third periodic report on Georgia about how that
State Party is fulfilling its obligations, under the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, called upon Georgian
authorities
1. To take steps to ensure equal enjoyment of the right of freedom
of religion or belief and ensure that its legislation and practices
conform fully with the international standards
2. To address the problems related to the confiscation of places of
worship and related properties of religious minorities.
The issue of registration of the AAC and RCC and return of their
property is also raised in the US department's International Religious
Freedom Reports (2005-07), in the Georgian Ombudsman's reports and
various other documents.
In spite of all these recommendations and appeals, the Georgian
Government continues its discriminatory policy, the apparent
manifestation of which is the recent crisis over the "Norashen"
Armenian Church in Tbilisi. Father Tariel Sikinchelashvili, a senior
priest of the Georgian Orthodox Church, has initiated construction
works on the immediate proximity of "Norashen" and temporarily halted
them down after the insistence and public protests of the Armenian
community.
To clarify the situation, on May 21-22, the fact finding group of
"Yerkir" Union of NGO's has visited Tbilisi. During the interview
with Father Tariel we have found out that the construction works he
was carrying were authorized by the municipality of Tbilisi.
And although the construction of the surrounding fence (carrying
Georgian religious symbols) has been suspended, it still continues
in the inner yard of the church."