Ruling party set to propose bill for insulting religious objects after defacing icon depicting Stalin

Anri Okhanashvili, the chairman of the Legal Affairs Committee of the Parliament, on Wednesday announced the ruling Georgian Dream party planned to propose amendments to ensure criminal liability for insulting religious objects, following the defacing of the icon of Matrona of Moscow that also features the image of the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.

 

Okhanashvili claimed the incident at Tbilisi Holy Trinity Cathedral was deemed illegal, but noted existing legislation fell short in addressing such actions “adequately”.  

 

He revealed many EU countries, including Germany, Austria, Poland, Greece, and Italy, impose criminal penalties, including imprisonment, for insulting religious buildings. 

 

“Consequently, the [GD] party aims to propose legislative changes in the near future to strengthen criminal responsibility for such offenses, extending the protection to various religious buildings like mosques, synagogues, Catholic and other churches”, he said. 

 

“The goal of these changes is to safeguard religious objects and facilities from insult and prevent the incitement of religious conflicts within society”, Okhanashvili asserted.

 

The Ministry of Internal Affairs has already initiated administrative proceedings, citing petty hooliganism, in response to the act of pouring paint on the icon on Tuesday.  

 

In the wake of this incident, a protest rally was organized near civic activist Nata Peradze’s house in Tbilisi, who shared the photographs of the defaced icon on her social media account, with participants accusing her of insulting the icon and demanding action beyond what the state and the law had taken.

 

Zurab Makharadze, associated with the Alt-Info group known for its anti-Western stance, voiced concerns about the police protection of Peradze during the rally, linking it to broader questions about the effectiveness of the law and government decisions.

 

The controversy surrounding the icon initially surfaced on social media, with cleric Ilia Chigladze sharing the information on Facebook. 

 

Archimandrite Iovane Mchedlishvili, the priest of the Holy Trinity Cathedral, revealed on January 7 that the icon depicting the Russian saint with Stalin had been present for months “without previous notice”.

 

The pro-Russian Alliance of Patriots party’s leader, Irma Inashvili, confirmed in a video on January 7 that she had donated the controversial icon to the Cathedral.