The assessment of the events taking place in Adigeni once again makes it clear that the state authorities have no viable plan which would secure social peace at a local level and safeguard the principles of religious freedom and quality for Muslim community. The Social Justice Center calls for the government to take immediate measures for resolving the conflict and protecting human rights.

Today, on April 5, Adigeni township became a scene for tension and altercation with Orthodox Christian clergy together with a group that they mobilized approaching once again a private residence that the local Muslim community temporarily uses a space for praying and demanding that religious leaders leave the building. The policy mobilized on the scene managed to deescalate the tension.

In order to prevent further escalation of the conflict, the police blocked an entrance to Muslim parishioners who, after having heard about the incident, came from neighboring villages with the intention to approach the residence in question and express their solidarity.

Today’s incident has been a result of failed negotiations brokered by the state authorities around the building used as a prayer house by local Muslim community who believe the terms and conditions offered by the authorities were unfair. More specifically, on 3 April 2024, Muslim community of Adigeni and local authorities held a meeting attended by representatives of Muslim community, Mayor Gocha Kimadze and Zaza Vashakmadze, head of the State Agency for Religious Issues. The parties discussed the matters around the transfer of a new building in Ijareti village to the Muslim community where the latter would be able to gather and pray freely and safely. However, finally, instead of the new building promised earlier, the Muslim community was offered a sum of money for purchasing another building. The offer was rejected since it broke the promise made by the state authorities earlier. In addition, purchasing a new building in the municipality might turn out impossible for the Muslim community.

It should be noted that during this period, local Muslims continued praying in the contested building. That was the reason why they have gathered today.

Importantly, negotiations between the Muslim community and local authorities took off as early as last year. Local authorities had demanded that the community use the building for solely residential purposes, and instead, promised to hand over an alternative building in Ijareti village, two kilometers from Adigeni. While the offer was accepted by the Muslim community, the authorities failed to hold it.

Seven months in the unresolved conflict, on 8 March 2024, as a result of failed promise, events took a grave turn when local Orthodox clergy and the group that they had mobilized, arrived at the contested prayer house, and demanded with a threat of violence and insults that Muslims gathered for prayer leave the premise.

Against the backdrop of these events, negotiations with regard to the new building resumed. However, during the past three weeks, local authorities have changed the conditions several times and finally, because of unfair terms offered to the Muslim community, the talks were aborted. At some point, local authorities offered the community a 49-year lease on a new building in Ijareti if the latter gave up property rights on the building in Adigeni. Later they told the Muslim community that the new building would be made property of the Administration of All Muslims of Georgia that they could lease. Yet another offer implied the transfer of money for purchasing a building in Ijareti to the Administration of All Muslim which, after the purchase was completed, would transfer the property under their ownership. Even though, religious leaders participating in the negotiations, decided to the take even the last of the offers, during the April 3 meeting, local authorities took it off the table and instead demanded that the community give up on the building in Adigeni and instead purchase a building with money that the authorities promised to allocate. The offer turned out outright unacceptable for the Muslim community.

It should be noted that the stance of local authorities has been rather problematic and unacceptable for the Muslim communities since the government representatives refused to recognize the religious organization participating in the negotiation as a party, and therefore, attempted to resolve the conflict only through transferring money or property via the muftiate administration. During the negotiations, government representatives often failed to adhere to the principles of religious impartiality. Public statements made by Zaza Vashakmadze, Head of the State Agency for Religious Issues were particularly problematic. Vashakmadze claimed that the religious leaders, the owners of the contested building, belong to other Muslim denomination and therefore, the state cannot enter in legal relations with them. These statements constitute an apparent breach of the principle of religious equality and contribute to reinforcing stigma attached to a specific group.

It is evident that since July 2023 the state has failed to resolve a local conflict and find a solution to the problem which would secure local safety and freedom of religion for the Muslim community on the one hand and prevent escalation in a long-term perspective.

Sadly, the state has so far failed to open an investigation into the aforementioned incidents ignoring apparent signs of crimes sanctionable under the Criminal Code of Georgia, specifically, unlawful interreference with the performance of religious service (Article 155) and persecution (Article 156). On behalf of Merab Mikeladze, on 12 March 2024 appealed to the investigation service to launch an investigation. However, three weeks after the appeal had been made, the investigation service, without any further explanation or justification, declared that the case was submitted to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Local Muslim community in Adigeni township gather in residential home of Merab (Iusup) Mikeladze for weekly prayers. However, this religious practice appears unacceptable for the representatives of the Christian Orthodox clergy and worshipers resulting in verbal altercation and tensions between the conflicting religious groups as early as 31 July 2023.

Back then, local Muslims, in order to prevent further escalation of the conflict, agreed to the offer made by the local authorities, and pledged to cease the practice of weekly prayers on the condition that they were given a building in Ijareti village for religious services. Local authorities broke their promise to the Muslim community leading to yet another altercation and threats of physical violence on part of the Orthodox clergy, including Reverend Nikoloz Getsadze of Zarzma church.

Assessment of developments unfolding in Adigeni township suggests that the Georgian state has failed to respond to challenges faced by Georgian Muslim communities concerning the protection of their safety, freedom of religion and quality. Today’s incident is no exception and the State’s ineffective legal and political response threatens local social peace and security, and runs a risk of re-escalation.

The Social Justice Center once again calls for:

Government of Georgia:

• Take effective steps to ensure that Georgian Muslims of Adigeni exercise their freedom of religion and enjoy equal treatment
• Take effective measures to regulate local conflicts, restore confidence and trust among communities and safeguard peaceful, safe and fair coexistence.

Local authorities:

• Observe the principles of religious neutrality when making decisions on the aforementioned issue and take all relevant measures to help communities rebuild trust, and prevent further incidents of similar nature.

Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia

• Ensure safe environment for praying for local Muslim and prevent the re-occurrence of physical assault, threats and intimidation.
• Ensure timely and adequate investigation into the incident and perform respective investigative activities.

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