The Public Defender has launched a survey of the infliction of damage to the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Vazisubani district of Tbilisi on his own initiative.

According to the reports, at about 11:00 pm, November 23, some strangers fired the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Vazisubani settlement of Tbilisi; 15 bullets were shot in all. Nobody was injured, though the walls of the building were damaged and windows were broken. Jehovah’s Witnesses allege similar facts have occurred earlier too.

As is known, the Ministry of Internal Affairs launched a probe into the abovementioned incident under article 187 of the Criminal Code of Georgia (intentional damage to property).

The Public Defender condemns the incident that took place in the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses on 23 November and urges the law enforcement agencies to conduct prompt and effective investigation to identify and punish perpetrators. In addition, investigation should find out whether the crime was motivated by religious hatred. The Public Defender will observe the progress of the investigation.