In Terjola, Jehovah Witnesses have been gathering in the house of their member for years: they arranged a chapel on the ground floor of the residential house. Now the owner needs the space and the community has no place to conduct religious rituals now; the district court suspended their permission on the construction of the chapel.
“Local administration first time demonstrated its position. They said the issue will be solved in favor of the orthodox people because they make majority of local population. The decision surprised us because we have not breached the law. During administrative hearing they told us the permission on the construction was halted,” lawyer of the Jehovah Witnesses Manuchar Tsimintia said.
He said the official reason to halt the construction was damage of the residential house located next to the construction area. “When we received the permission, we provided the conclusion of the expert which stated that the construction would not create threat for the surrounding buildings. We did not wish at all to create problems for anyone around. The district administration ignored the expertise conclusion. Besides that, they dragged out the case discussion,” Tsimintia said.
The damaged house belongs to Kakhaber Makaridze. He is a former wrestler and now trains young sportsmen. Makaridze was judged three times for insulting Jehovah Witnesses. “Jehovah Witnesses were offered alternative space for the construction of their chapel and they must not behave provocatively. I do not care about my house even if it ruins down… the issue is that I am true orthodox person. They do not behave correctly. Just imagine, wrestlers walk in this street everyday… we do not want controversy. Simply, they must leave this place and construct their chapel in another place; we can even help them wherever they wish to build it,” Makaridze said and showed us around his house which has cracks in the walls and floor.
The Royal Hall of Jehovah Witnesses is to be constructed next to Makaridze’s house – just behind the Terjola cinema hall. In private talks people said that initially non-registered union of Jehovah Witnesses Terjola purchased the plot for the construction of a house; later they started construction of a chapel.
Head of the Terjola Orthodox Church Archpriest Spiridon Tskipurishvili, together with his parish, opposes construction of the royal hall of Jehovah Witnesses in the central part of the town. He in agreement with the district administration offered meeting and alternative space to the Jehovah Witnesses. “I love them. If somebody does not believe that, you can test me in personal relationships. I openly declared that; my address is uploaded in internet too. I am ready to come to the meetings, visit their families and invite them to my house; let us talk,” Father Spiridon said.
Manuchar Tsimintia said he cannot see point of meeting and there is nothing to argue. “It is not true that they offered alternative space to us. What they offered, it was unregistered space in a remote landslided land. We are grateful that they offered this space but our construction in the Four Brothers Street is legal and we must finish it,” Tsimintia said.
Terjola district governor Teimuraz Japaridze also supports Archpriest Spiridon Tskipurishvili and his parish. “It is already their principle that they do not want to move to another place. They insist on that particular place. We doubt these people are under influence. We try to support them; we told them they can find alternative place themselves while they do not like our offer. But now they insist for the old place and request alternative one too. They want to occupy the entire district and who will allow them to do that?” Teimuraz Japaridze asked.
Chairman of the citizens initiative group Zaur Oboladze said the solution is only in constructive dialogue. “I want this conflict to be resolved peacefully without damaging any of the parties. I appeal to all organizations, governmental and nongovernmental ones, to do their best to avoid incidents and finish this process in a peaceful environment. We must talk – dialogue can resolve all significant issues.”
According to the judgment of the Zestaponi district court Jehovah Witnesses can continue construction.
Giorgi Janelidze
