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UN Human Rights Committee session was held in Geneva on July 7-14. During the session a report on implementation of the International Covenantion on Civil and Political Rights in Georgia.

Levon Isakhanyan participated on behalf of the Apostolic Administration of Roman Catholic of South Caucasus, the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Holy Church in Georgia, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Georgia, and the Evangelical Baptist Churches in Georgia.

He presented information concerning religious minorities in Georgia and talked about documented cases of discrimination missing from the Georgian State Report.

An alternative detailed report on discrimination against religious minorities in Georgia (available on the Committee’s website) and a letter signed by four religious leaders representing the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic, the Roman Catholic, the Evangelical Lutheran, and the Evangelical Baptist Churches in Georgia addressed to the Chairperson of the Committee (available on the Committee’s website) were brought to the Commissioners’ attention.

The Members of the Committee expressed their concern about the presented cases of discrimination. Mr. Yadh Ben Achour, Vice-Chairperson of the Committee, noted that Georgia might have not complied with its obligations to eradicate discrimination against religious minorities (click to watch the video). Mr. Ben Achour posed a number of questions to the Georgian delegation chaired by Ms. Thea Tsulukiani, the Minister of Justice of Georgia, about:

- Measures taken for restitution of property confiscated from religious minorities during the Soviet regime;

- State assistance to the Georgian Orthodox Church (GOC) in undertaking de-facto expropriation of minority religions’ property;

- Discrimination of religious minorities in the field of taxation;

- Harassment and assault of persons belonging to religious minorities as well as passive behavior of the Government in regard to these facts;

- Whether the Constitutional Agreement, or Concordat, between the Georgian State and the Orthodox Church is the source of discrimination against religious minorities in Georgia;

- Unequal budgetary allocations for religious organizations;

- Unequal allocation of public funds for maintenance of places of worship;

- Outcome of criminal investigations in regard to crimes committed on the basis of religious intolerance.

In his response, a representative of the State Ministry on Reconciliation and Civil Equality referred to the State’s achievements concerning restitution of property belonging to religious organizations, issues related to legal status of religious organizations, partial reparations for loses caused during the Soviet period, and the creation of the State Agency for Religious Issues

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