Protest Against Georgian Authorities And Georgian Church Kicked Off

[Frangulian Shushan]

PROTEST AGAINST GEORGIAN AUTHORITIES AND GEORGIAN CHURCH KICKED OFF IN YEREVAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.11.2009 14:43 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Demonstrators in Yerevan have started a protest
against Georgian authorities' failure to take actions towards
preservation of Armenian monasteries in Tbilisi. Over 500 people have
gathered in front of Georgian Embassy to Armenia to hand to Ambassador
Targamadze a letter on barbarism against Armenian churches.

Demonstrators are holding placards reading "No to Cultural Genocide",
"Georgians are not Christians". A PanARMENIAN.Net correspondent reports
that protesters intend to head towards UN House in Yerevan, to raise
international community's awareness of situation with religious
freedom in Georgia.

According to AAC Georgian Eparchy representative Mkhitar Aloyan,
Georgian authorities constantly degrade and insult Armenian clergymen
and believers. "When we go to Jerusalem on pilgrimage, the custom
service actually searches us, whereas Georgians get out-of-turn
permission. They are not Christians, because a Christian cannot
destroy a church. Our protest is not directed against Georgian people;
we are protesting against official Tbilisi," Aloyan said.

Last Friday, Surb Gevorg Armenian church (dating from 1356) was
demolished in Georgia. Armenian Apostolic Church accused Georgian
authorities of indifference to Armenian sacred places.