Chairman Papuashvili says USAID Funding for Center Promoting 'Religious Hysteria' is a Concern
By Liza Mchedlidze
Monday, January 22, 2024
The Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia, Shalva Papuashvili, spoke about the Tolerance Center, criticized its head, Beka Mindiashvili, and addressed the organization's donor, USAID. According to him, Mindiashvili, the head of the Tolerance Center, is involved and is the 'instigator' of the attack campaign on religious grounds.
Papuashvili did not appreciate Mindiashvili's criticism of the Patriarchate, prompting him to appeal to the Public Defender. However, upon discovering that the center was not under the jurisdiction of the Ombudsman, he issued a statement to the donor. According to Papuashvili, Mindiashvili's critique of the Patriarchate constitutes "religious intolerance, hostile rhetoric, and hate speech."
"The man who should be promoting the idea of religious tolerance has himself become the spirit behind the campaign of attacks on religious grounds. In addition, he is generally characterized by religious intolerance and hostile rhetoric towards the Georgian Orthodox Church...
Referring to the Catholicos-Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church as a 'spy, labeling the church as 'degraded', and dismissing the celebration of Christmas on January 7, on the secular calendar, as 'anti-Western stupidity' amounts to religious intolerance, hostile rhetoric, and hate speech.
Referring to the Catholicos-Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church as a 'spy,' labeling the church as 'degraded,' and dismissing the celebration of Christmas on January 7, according to the secular calendar, as 'anti-Western stupidity,' amounts to religious intolerance, hostile rhetoric, and hate speech. This goes against what a tolerance center should be fighting for." Papuashvili said.
Papuashvili also addressed the funding of the Tolerance Center, noting that the center is financed under one of the USAID programs, which, according to him, is a problem.
"I am deeply saddened that, once again, USAID finds itself at the epicenter of a scandal related to projects financed in its name. It turns out that a person distinguished by religious intolerance and inciting religious hysteria is able to secure American funding, even though the cause for which he acts is completely opposite to the values supported by the funding. I expect that the USAID leadership will soon find out about this issue and will act in the best interest of the American and Georgian people," Papuashvili said.
Papuashvili asserted that the 'Tolerance Center' is neither a center nor a structural unit of the Public Defender. According to him, it is "an independent project that exists separately," which, in turn, poses a problem. He argued that the appropriation of the name of a constitutional body is misleading citizens and presents the non-governmental organization as a state institution.
