PO ignores Ombudsperson's call to punish organizers of riots in Tbilisi

The absence of any reaction of the Prosecutor's Office (PO) to the call of Nino Lomdjariya, the Georgian Ombudsperson, to bring the organizers of riots in Tbilisi to justice is explained by the fact that law enforcers would not admit the involvement of priests in violence against journalists, Vakhtang Maisaya, a political analyst, believes. The Georgian Patriarchy can punish the priests, but it is excessively loyal to their misdeeds, Levan Abashidze, a theologian, has noted.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on September 6, Nino Lomdjariya, the Georgian Ombudsperson, stated that more than two months had passed after the July 5 massive attacks on media professionals, but the organizers had not yet been punished. In its turn, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) asserts that charges against Zurab Makharadze from the "Alt-Info" and the Archpriest, Spiridon Tskipurishvili, are insufficiently justified.

The church provides for punishing priests for violations, but only when there is no doubt about their guilt, Levan Abashidze, a theologian, has explained.

Two priests have been punished for inciting people to violence and organizing riots – one was temporarily suspended from worshiping, the other was given a final warning.

The PO has failed to react to the Ombudsperson's appeal, said Nika Chitadze, the head of the Centre for Studying Security and International Relations. Priests should know their responsibility for the voiced statements and calls, since the status of a clergyman imposes a great responsibility on them, Mr Chitadze believes.