Day: January 11, 2024

Georgia to toughen punishment for desecration of shrines

The Georgian Dream party is initiating legislative amendments to toughen criminal punishment for desecration of religious buildings and objects. This was announced by the head of the Legal Committee of the Georgian Parliament, Henri Okhanashvili.

According to him, the initiative was necessitated by the recent scandalous incident around the icon of Matrona of Moscow hanging in the main cathedral of Georgia Sameba, which also depicts Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. The icon was doused with paint.

On January 9, social activist Nata Peradze published a video showing an icon of St. Matrona of Moscow being doused with blue paint. The reason for this is probably the image of Joseph Stalin on the icon.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs opened a case under the article on petty hooliganism.

Information that an icon of St. Matrona of Moscow hangs in Sameba, where Joseph Stalin is also depicted, spread in social networks on January 6.

On January 10, aggressive members of the pro-Russian organization “Alt-Info” gathered near the house of civil activist Nata Peradze. The protesters insulted and threatened her. The police who arrived on the scene intervened in the situation.

“We intend to respond to what happened yesterday in Sameba, which caused a protest and strong emotions in the overwhelming majority of our society. Such unchristian behavior in the church and actions insulting to any religion, which create a real threat to incite conflict on religious grounds, are completely unacceptable to us […] Therefore, it is our direct duty to ensure proper protection of the freedom of religion guaranteed by the Georgian constitution in order to prevent insults to any religion,” Okhanashvili said.

According to him, the ruling party has already started studying the experience of the European Union countries and the approaches of the Strasbourg Court on the issue of punishment for desecration of shrines.

“Based on preliminary research, we already know that in many EU member states, religious insults, desecration of religious buildings and other similar actions are punishable with penalties up to criminal, including imprisonment […] Our team will soon initiate legislative amendments to toughen criminal liability for insulting religious buildings and objects. This applies to both Orthodox Christian and other religious objects, such as mosques, synagogues, Catholic and other temples,” Okhanashvili said at a briefing in Parliament.

• Capital of the Patriarchate: Property of the most influential institution in Georgia
• Anti-vaxxing, homophobia, pro-Russian sentiments – is the church an obstacle on Georgia’s pro-Western course?

What happened?

On January 8, a shocking video circulated on social media showing a man brutally beating a dog to death with a tree branch. The incident has caused a huge public outcry, with many animal rights activists taking to the streets in protest. This is the second case of disturbing violence against an animal in recent months, prompting us to examine the legislation and identify the shortcomings in the Government’s regulation of animal rights.

Disturbing cases of animal abuse

The disturbing video shows see a middle-aged man, Arip Goishov, beating a helpless dog with a branch on its head and body. The reason for Goishov’s anger was that the stray dog had entered his yard and eaten 10 of his chickens and bitten his cow and a sheep.

The incident happened in the village of Kachagani, Marneuli municipality. According to Goishov’s mother, the video is several months old and was shot by an unknown person and posted on the Internet for revenge. The video was later identified as being shot in December. In a separate incident, Goishov was reportedly accused of demanding sexual favors from an underage girl in exchange for money. According to his mother, following these accusations he was allegedly lured to a secluded area and beaten by his neighbors a few days ago.

Goishov was arrested shortly after the video of him beating the dog was released. On January 10, the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia charged him with violation of the third part of Article 259 (Torture or ill-treatment of animals resulting in death) of the Criminal Code of Georgia and the Court has sentenced him to two months of pretrial detention. The day before, animal rights activists protested in Marneuli and Tbilisi, calling on the court to sentence the man to the maximum penalty of 1 to 4 years in prison.

This is the second such disturbing case of animal abuse in three weeks. On December 24, another video was posted on Facebook showing a dog with a head injury caused by a sharp object in Baghdati. The dog was in an alarming condition and required immediate surgery. Veterinarians from the Veterinary Medical Center Vet-Med operated on the dog for one hour and 25 minutes, but despite the operation, the dog didn’t survive. The investigation has begun, but the person responsible for the animal’s death has not yet been found.

According to the Georgian National Statistical Office, in 2023 (not including December) the prosecutor’s office started prosecution in nine cases of animal abuse. Some of these cases include the shooting of stray dogs in Tbilisi and Tsalka, and the throwing of a family dog from the 8th floor window.

Animal Rights Legislation in Georgia

Looking at the recent history of animal abuse in Georgia, we can see that dogs, especially stray dogs, are the most common victims of abuse. In general Georgia has a problem with a huge number of stray dogs on the streets. The number of stray dogs was last counted in 2015, and in Tbilisi alone, there were about 243 dogs per 1 square kilometer in the city, and this number has probably increased, according to the estimates of experts and animal rights groups. As the number of dogs increases, so do cases of brutality, which the Georgian legislature has failed to adequately regulate.

Improper treatment of animals is regulated under the Criminal Code (Article 259) and the Code of Administrative Offenses (Articles 103, 104 and 172). Georgia is not a signatory of international conventions and declarations oriented on the wellbeing of animals, such as the UNESCO’s Universal Declaration of Animal Rights of 1978 and Council of Europe’s European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals of 1987.

In 2019, the Georgian Parliament presented a legislative initiative on the protection of the welfare of pets, which has not yet been adopted. The draft law regulates the uncontrolled reproduction of animals, cruel treatment of animals, management of the population of stray animals, and so on. Supporters of the bill believe it has the potential to improve the living conditions and welfare of animals and should be adopted as soon as possible.

The Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI), a local watchdog, periodically reviews the legal guarantees of animal welfare and their implementation in practice in Georgia. According to its latest findings, based on the December 2022 report, Georgian legislation currently only partially defines the legal basis for the care and welfare of companion animals.

IDFI found that the number of cases of animal cruelty is increasing, while the reporting of such crimes and proper investigation by the state authorities is decreasing. The number of animal cruelty cases heard by the courts is low. In 2019-2021, only 21 cases were heard by the courts, of which 19 people were found guilty, 17 were fined and only 2 were imprisoned.

Steps to be Taken

The Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) proposes three main steps to better protect animal rights in Georgia:

1. Develop a better legal framework and ensure its effective enforcement. According to IDFI it is necessary to initiate the draft law in time, to conduct the process in an inclusive manner, to take into account the opinions of specialists working on this issue and to adopt a law that will ensure the welfare of companion animals and their safe coexistence with society throughout the country.
2. Invest in municipal finances, especially in places like Tbilisi. Building shelters and allocating resources across Georgia is seen as key to addressing this issue. Developing a reliable system for registering and managing homeless dogs and launching a widespread sterilization program are also seen as essential to curbing the population of stray animals, not only in the capital but also in other areas.
3. Raise awareness about the increased number of animal abuse cases in Georgia. IDFI suggests reflecting animal welfare issues in educational programs and increasing the competence and capabilities of representatives of municipalities and all competent bodies around the issue.

Small Steps Forward

Realistically, social campaigns have the greatest potential to raise awareness. The recent example of the successful campaign against the use of fireworks during new year celebrations, shows that social changes in Georgia can be effectively achieved through campaigns.

The excessive use of fireworks in the first hours of the New Year has been a tradition in Georgia for many years. All the fireworks going off at the same time over a long period of time causes extreme anxiety in the animals, with some dying from fright or heart attacks. The campaign actively shared images of frightened animals and encouraged people to think about the impact of fireworks on animals. People really took the issue to heart, and 2024 was by far the quietest New Year’s celebration in a long time, and for the first time, no animals died in the zoo.

Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with President of the Republic of Maldives Mohamed Muizzu in Beijing on Wednesday.

The two heads of state announced the elevation of bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

Xi said that the people of the two countries established friendly ties through the ancient Maritime Silk Road, undertook productive cooperation in the construction of the Belt and Road and other areas in recent years, and set a good example of equality, mutual assistance and mutual benefit between countries big and small over the past 52 years of diplomatic ties.

“Under the new circumstances, China-Maldives relations face a historic opportunity to build on past achievements and forge ahead,” Xi said, noting that the elevation of ties is necessary alongside the growth of bilateral relations and meets the expectations of the two peoples.

Xi spoke about the hard work and valuable experience of the Communist Party of China over the last century. He stressed that China respects and supports the Maldives in exploring a development path suited to its national conditions and supports the Maldives firmly in safeguarding its national sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national dignity.

China stands ready to exchange governance experience with the Maldives, strengthen the synergy of development strategies, advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and set a new benchmark for the China-Maldives friendship, Xi said.

He called on the two sides to strengthen cooperation in such areas as the economy, trade and investment, agricultural parks, and the blue, green and digital economies. He also called for expanded cooperation on marine ecological and environmental protection, as well as strengthened people-to-people exchanges. He said China will support more Maldivian students to study in China and promote more direct flights between the two countries.

Xi noted that the two sides should strengthen multilateral communication and coordination to safeguard genuine multilateralism and the common interests of developing countries and build a community with a shared future for humanity to make the world more peaceful, secure and prosperous.

He said that China is willing to work with the Maldives to implement the consensus reached at the UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai, and to promote the full and effective implementation of the Paris Agreement.

Muizzu said he was honored to pay his first state visit to China with a number of important cabinet ministers and become the first foreign head of state that China has hosted this year, fully demonstrating the great importance both sides attach to the development of bilateral relations.

Muizzu said the Maldives pursues the one-China policy firmly. Firm mutual support in safeguarding national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity is a solid foundation for the sustained and sound development of Maldives-China relations.

Noting that this year marks the 10th anniversary of President Xi’s historic state visit to the Maldives, Muizzu said that China has provided a significant amount of valuable assistance to his country’s economic and social development. He said the Maldivian people have benefited greatly from the Belt and Road Initiative, citing the Maldives-China Friendship Bridge as a symbol of the bond between the two peoples.

During his visit to Fujian Province, Muizzu said he has witnessed China’s great achievements and experienced the excellent leadership of President Xi. He said the Maldives looks forward to taking the elevation of ties as an opportunity to expand new channels of cooperation and promote high-quality partnership in the construction of the Belt and Road, and that it welcomes more Chinese tourists to visit the country.

The Maldives supports the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, all of which were put forward by President Xi, and is willing to communicate and cooperate closely with China on international and regional affairs, Muizzu noted.

After their talks, the two heads of state witnessed the signature of an action plan to establish the China-Maldives comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, as well as cooperation documents on the construction of the Belt and Road, disaster management, the economy and technology, infrastructure, people’s livelihoods, green development, and the blue and digital economies.

Continuing to demonstrate solidarity and support, on Thursday, January 11, the Sumgait Technological Park of Azerbaijan sent another humanitarian aid convoy to Ukraine, including vital electrical equipment.

A fleet of 25 trucks will deliver to Ukraine more than 677 thousand meters of electric cables and wires, as well as 22…

Baku/11.01.24/Turan: Certain forces in the world cannot digest Azerbaijan’s victory in the Second Karabakh War. Pressures on Azerbaijan and negative attitude of these forces will continue and France plays a leading role in this. President Ilham Aliyev said this in an interview with local TV channels on 10 January.

“It…

Baku/11.01.01.24/Turan: The “Peaceful Crossroads” transport project is a PR action. President Ilham Aliyev said this in an interview with local TV channels on 10 January.

“Armenia has put forward this idea as an alternative to the ‘Zangezur Corridor’ and it is actually a PR action,” Aliyev said.

He said Armenia…