Georgian Muslims’ leader summoned to State Security Service of Georgia

Mikeladze said that the case might be related to Asadov’s statement yesterday to the Mtavari TV channel, when he answered the question of a journalist about his opinion on the government’s decision not to close churches during the holiday, saying “then we will open our mosques on Ramadan and let’s see how the Prime Minister will treat us." Photo: State Security Service.

Agenda.ge, 16 Apr 2020 - 18:40, Tbilisi,Georgia

Sheikh Mirtag Asadov, the chairman of the Supreme Religious Administration of Georgia's All Muslims and three other founders of the religious organisation have been summoned to the State Security Service of Georgia, reports the Human Rights and Monitoring Center (EMC).

The State Security Service of Georgia has not defined the reason for the summons…[later it was said] Asadov was summoned for an investigation launched into ‘sabotage’” said Tamta Mikeladze, a representative of the EMC.

Mikeladze said that the case might be related to Asadov’s statement yesterday to the Mtavari TV channel, when he answered the question of a journalist about his opinion on the government’s decision not to close churches during the holiday, saying “then we will open our mosques on Ramadan and let’s see how the Prime Minister will treat us."

The EMC says that according to Asadov, the answer was rhetorical.

Georgia is not a theocratic country, it is a secular state and the division of "us-others" is not right,” said Asadov yesterday.

Mikeladze said that there is also the second opinion that they might be summoned because of the protests in Marneuli municipality, eastern Georgia started on April 14 after 9 p.m. where locals were protesting the current lockdown in Marneuli with car horns.

The reason is that locals in Marneuli used to trade with agricultural products but as of now due to the lockdown they have run into trade problems.

Mikeladze said that those summoned to the State Security Service of Georgia say that they are not organisators of these protests.