For Immediate Release
September 28, 2001
Religious extremists intensify reign of terror in Georgia
TBILISI, Georgia—Early this morning religious extremists mounted a city-wide orchestrated attack on Jehovah's Witnesses, who were traveling to their annual religious convention in the adjacent city of Marneuli. The mob of some 100 attackers, many in masks, closed a main thoroughfare. They stopped the buses carrying delegates, dragged the people out by the hair, threw them to the ground and kicked them, punched them, and beat them with clubs. Women, children and the elderly were not spared. At least one bus and numerous cars carrying delegates were also seriously damaged in the process.
The attackers then headed to the convention site in Marneuli, where they continued the rampage. They trashed the convention site and a private residence and burned up the benches and religious literature in a bonfire. The attack was 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. Today's attack belies that statement. Victims who managed to get to police stations were derided by police officers and told that this matter was not a police affair. Police in Marneuli merely watched as the convention site was being trashed, but they made no attempt to intervene.
Telephone: +995 32 7623 59 Facsimile: +995 32 76 95 98
English speaking mobile phone: +995 99 554-892
Video footage of previous violent mob attacks available to the media upon request
Contact J. R. Brown, telephone: (718) 560-5600