[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 39 (Tuesday, March 11, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S3497]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           DISTURBING DEVELOPMENTS IN THE REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA

  Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, as cochairman of the Commission on 
Security and Cooperation in Europe, I am concerned by a myriad of 
problems that plague the nation of Georgia a decade after restoration 
of its independence and nearly eleven years after it joined the 
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, OSCE. Among these 
pressing concerns that I would like to bring to the attention of my 
colleagues is the ongoing violence against non-Orthodox religious 
groups, as well as allegations of torture perpetrated by Georgian 
security officials.
  Concerning religious freedom, the situation in Georgia is one of the 
worst in the entire 55-nation region constituting the OSCE. Georgia is 
the only OSCE country where mobs are allowed to attack, violently and 
repeatedly, minority religious groups with complete impunity. Most 
recently, on January 24th, worshipers and clergy were assaulted and 
beaten in a mob attack on the Central Baptist Church in Tbilisi, where 
an ecumenical service was to have taken place. While police did 
eventually intervene, no arrests were made, and the planned ecumenical 
service between Baptists, Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholics and 
Lutherans was canceled. While I am pleased President Shevardnadze did 
issue a decree calling for a full investigation, to date no action by 
police or the Prosecutor General has taken place.
  During the past three years of escalating mob violence, the Jehovah's 
Witnesses have experienced the majority of attacks, along with 
Baptists, Pentecostals, and Catholics. Sadly, victims from throughout 
the country have filed approximately 800 criminal complaints, and not 
one of these has resulted in a criminal conviction. The mob attacks are 
usually led by either Vasili Mkalavishvili, a defrocked Georgian 
Orthodox priest, or Paata Bluashvili, the leader of the Orthodox 
``Jvari'' Union. Often the police and media are tipped off in advance 
of an attack--probably so that the media can arrive early and the 
police can show up late. The brazen leaders of these attacks have even 
given television interviews while mob brutality continues in the 
background.
  In response to this ongoing campaign of violence against members of 
minority faiths, the leadership of the Helsinki Commission and other 
members of the Senate and House have been in correspondence with 
President Shevardnadze on numerous occasions. Congressional dismay over 
this ongoing issue was also reflected in language included in the 
omnibus appropriations bill underscoring concern over the Georgian 
Government's apparent resistance to prosecuting and jailing the 
perpetrators of these mob attacks. Despite assurances, Georgian 
officials have neither quelled this violence nor taken effective 
measures against the perpetrators of these assaults. Ironically, it 
appears that minority religious communities may be freer in parts of 
Georgia outside of Tbilisi's control than those under the central 
authorities.
  The conference report language should send a strong message to 
President Shevardnadze and other Georgian leaders. They must understand 
the Congress's deep and abiding interest in this matter and our desire 
to see those responsible for the violence put in jail.
  I also must express my concern regarding the widespread, indeed 
routine, use of torture in the Republic of Georgia. While law 
enforcement remains virtually nonexistent when it comes to protecting 
religious minorities from violent attacks, the use of torture by police 
remains a commonplace tool for extracting confessions and obtaining 
convictions in other areas. A government commission has also 
acknowledged that the scale of corruption in law enforcement has 
seriously eroded public confidence in Georgia's system of justice and 
the rule of law.
  At one point, a few years ago, there appeared to be real political 
will to address this problem. Sadly, increased protections for 
detainees, adopted to facilitate Georgia's accession to the Council of 
Europe, were quickly reversed by the parliament once Georgia's 
admission was complete. Moreover, I am particularly concerned by 
remarks made by Minister of Interior Koba Narchemashvili in November. 
In a move calculated to look tough on crime following a notorious 
murder, he called for seizing control of pre-trial detention facilities 
from the authority of the Ministry of Justice. This would move Georgia 
in exactly the wrong direction. Reform must continue on two levels; 
continuing to move Georgia's legal standards into compliance with 
international norms, and improving actual implementation by law 
enforcement officers.
  I want to see a prosperous, democratic, and independent Georgia, but 
these facts are deeply disturbing and disappointing. The Government of 
Georgia's failure to effectively address these concerns through 
decisive action will only further erode confidence here in Washington 
as well as with the people of Georgia.

                          ____________________