Pentecostal pastor’s right to practice his faith freely, a religious rights news service reported.
Forum 18 News Service (F18News) said the ruling in favor of Pastor Nikolai Kalutsky came amid growing concern about reports of violence against evangelical believers in the former Soviet republic.
It was unclear what, if any, damage claims could be made by the pastor, whose home church in the capital Tbilisi was reportedly attacked April 28 by an apparently angry Orthodox mob. He said up to 30 people shouted "crude insults" at church members and would not allow any to enter the house. After three hours they left and the church went ahead with a service, F18 News reported.
Mobs were said to have returned on May 12, the next time the church tried to meet in Kalutsky’s home as it does not have a church building. After the service, police accompanied some church members back to the metro station, but when they had gone some 15 mob members allegedly surrounded the believers and attacked the pastor’s brother, Ivan Kalutsky. He was beaten on the head and kicked, another young church member was hit on the back and head, and water was thrown over three female church members, the news agency said.
SIMILAR BLOCKADE
On May 13 a similar mob blockade of Pastor Kalutsky’s home took place. "The police have asked us not to hold further meetings in our home for fear of violent reactions," Pastor Kalutsky told F18News. "They keep promising they will help us find alternative premises, but this is very hard as other venues are afraid to host us."
F18 News quoted Sozar Subari, the Human Rights Ombudsperson, as saying that "mobs are instigated" by a local Georgian Orthodox priest. Another priest, Vasily Mkalavishvili, was reportedly sentenced in February to six years in prison for organizing violence against Evangelical Christians.
F18News reported similar opposition to Pentecostal and Baptist congregations in other areas of Georgia. In the village of Orsantia in Zugdidi district, the head of the village administration has demanded to see a document giving a Pentecostal church the right to hold services. Until such documents are produced all services would be banned, he allegedly warned them.
MORE HARASSMENT
Baptist Pastor Levan Akhalmosulishvili was quoted as saying that similar incidents of harassment from Orthodox mobs occurred in at least two other villages. "In the past they used to beat us, but now they’ve been well trained to insult us but not to touch us," he told F18News, apparently in reference to the jail term of the Orthodox priest.
Since 2002, only the dominant Orthodox Church was legally registered with the government, human rights groups say. However under the new government of President Mikhail Saakashvili
legislation was passed in late April allowing the registration of other religious groups should they so desire.
The amendments also removed the requirement for religious groups to be officially registered, human rights experts say.
POPULAR OPPOSITION
However so far "there has been little practical change" and religious minorities continue to be harassed, Forum 18 News said. Church watchers claim that part of the reason may be a popular opposition to such groups in the country.
In a 2004 survey, nearly 74 percent of those questioned reportedly supported the destruction of publications of religious minorities. Only ten percent would defend the rights of religious minorities.
The Orthodox Church closely cooperated with both Communist and post Communist authorities as it feared to lose its influence in the mainly Orthodox nation of five million people, analysts say. (With Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife, BosNewsLife Research and reports from Georgia)
