The Tolerance and Diversity Institute (TDI), in collaboration with the USAID Rule of Law Program, hosted the presentation of its 2022 Report on Freedom of Religion and Belief in Georgia. The event brought together representatives from various religious associations, local and international organizations, the diplomatic corps, and state agencies.

The report covers many significant issues, including the state's religious policy, property challenges faced by non-dominant religious associations, state funding of religious organizations, crimes stemming from religious intolerance, and state control over religious associations.

During the presentation, Mariam Ghavtadze, Head of TDI's Strategic Litigation and Advocacy Department, highlighted that "systemic problems concerning freedom of religion and belief and the equality of religious associations have persisted without resolution for years. No efforts have been made to address the existing discrimination in the legislation, which bestows property, tax rights, and privileges exclusively to the Georgian Orthodox Church. Instead, the government has introduced a new legislative initiative solely exempting Orthodox clergy from military service." Ghavtadze emphasized that property and ownership disputes affecting non-dominant religious associations remain pressing issues.

Mariam Gabedava, the USAID Rule of Law Program’s Legal Aid Advisor, highlighted the importance of documenting and analyzing the challenges regarding the freedom of religion and belief in Georgia, so that civil society, religious organizations, and the state can use the resulting information as the basis for interventions to improve the situation. “We cannot claim high standards of human rights protection when a substantive portion of the population continues to face systemic failures and discrimination in their effort to enjoy the basic human right of freedom of religion and belief. We hope that TDI’s advocacy and strategic litigation on behalf of religious minority communities continue to bring about positive change and contribute to further improvement of rights protections for all citizens of Georgia.”

The latter part of the event featured speeches from prominent figures in the religious community, including Bishop Rusudan Gotsiridze of the Evangelical-Baptist Church, Catholic Church priest Gabriele Bragantini, Zaal Tkeshelashvili, Pastor of the Evangelical Church of Georgia, and Zaza Mikeladze, a representative of the Muslim community.

These speakers provided insights into the current state of freedom of faith and religion in Georgia. According to Bishop Gotsiridze, freedom of religion has disappeared from the public agenda, the media is less interested and does not cover the problems of non-dominant religious groups. She also noted that challenges in teaching religious tolerance, cultural diversity, and equality remain in the public education system. Priest Bragantini spoke about the problems the Catholic Church faces in Georgia and noted that the Catholic heritage soon might be lost. He also spoke about the problem of getting restitution for property confiscated during the Soviet period. Pastor Tkeshelashvili stressed upon the challenges in protecting freedom of religion and belief, and mentioned the ongoing lawsuit against the Evangelical Church of Georgia, which puts it in danger of losing its only chapel. Zaza Mikeladze spoke at length about the challenges faced by Muslims in Georgia. He also talked about the difficulty obtaining restitution for seized religious properties, as well as barriers to the construction of new religious buildings, including the Batumi Mosque.