I am contacting you with the thought that maybe we all could contact the authorities in Georgia (Religious and secular) and try and explain to them the futility of this type of action against JW's (see press release below) .....

If they can be made to understand that this only make sthem more determined and stronger, it could save a lof of people a lot of grief.

Would appreciate your feedback and thoughts on this.

JanG

At the end of this is a list of contacts to whom we can write etc about this.

For Immediate Release September 28, 2001

Religious extremists intensify reign of terror in Georgia

TBILISI, Georgia Early this morning religious extremists mounted a city-wide orchestrated attack on Jehovah's Witnesses, who were traveling to their annual religious convention in the adjacent city of Marneuli. The mob of some 100 attackers, many in masks, closed a main thoroughfare. They stopped the buses carrying delegates, dragged the people out by the hair, threw them to the ground and kicked them, punched them, and beat them with clubs. Women, children and the elderly were not spared. At least one bus and numerous cars carrying delegates were also seriously damaged in the process.

The attackers then headed to the convention site in Marneuli, where they continued the rampage. They trashed the convention site and a private residence and burned up the benches and religious literature in a bonfire. The attack was led by renegade Orthodox priest Vasili Mkalavishvili and his main associate Petre (Gia) Ivanidze. Despite organizing and participating in dozens of attacks against religious minorities over a period of two years, neither of these men has ever been taken into custody.

Jehovah's Witnesses had informed the authorities well in advance of their intention to hold a convention and had received guarantees from the police that proper measures would be taken to protect their right of assembly. Today's attack belies that statement. Victims who managed to get to police stations were derided by police officers and told that this matter was not a police affair. Police in Marneuli merely watched as the convention site was being trashed, but they made no attempt to intervene.

Telephone: +995 32 7623 59 Facsimile: +995 32 76 95 98 English speaking mobile phone: +995 99 554-892

Video footage of previous violent mob attacks available to the media upon request

Contact J. R. Brown, telephone: (718) 560-5600

Here are the contacts I have found for Georgia

JanG

Their Human Rights Page http://www.parliament.ge/HUMAN/human.html

THE CHURCH OF GEORGIA Patriarchate of Georgia Erekle II, Square# 1 Tblisi 380 005, Georgia

tel +995.32.99 03 78 / +995.32.98 95 41 / +995.32.98 27 09 fax +995.32.98 71 14 website http://www.orthodox-patriarchate-of-georgia.org.ge email

His Holiness, ILIA Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtsheta and Tbilisi

THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IN AMERICA * PO Box 675 Syosset, NY 11791-0675 phone 1-516-922-0550 fax 515-922-0954 email website http://www.oca.org His Beatitude, THEODOSIUS Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada

Chancery & Administration The Right Reverend SERAPHIM, Bishop of Ottawa 2801 Newman Rd., Johnstown, ON, K0E 1X0 Mailing Address: PO Box 179, Spencerville, Ontario K0E 1X0 tel 613-925-5226, fax 613-925-1521

Tbilisi (diplomatic and official NIVs only) U.S. Embassy, Consular Section #25 Antonely Str. 380026 Tbilisi, Georgia Telephone: (7) 8832-98-99-68 Mailing Address: Dept. of State, Washington, DC 20521-7060

Eduard Shevardnadze Chairman, State Council Plekhanova 103 Tbilisi 880064 Georgia e-mail webpage http://www.parliament.ge/