In the latest sign of the influence of Georgia's virtual civil society, many Georgians have turned to posting on Facebook their photos and the number of their signature on a petition to the government in a bid to bring to justice the participants of a mob-attack on participants in a May 17 anti-homophobia demonstration.
The violence has started a vibrant debate on the minority rights, the rule of law and on drawing a line between state and the church. Which thinking prevails in the long run may largely depend on authorities’ ability to enforce the law, analysts say.
The May 17 events did result in the drafting of a law to protect minorities, but, in terms of prosecutions, the authorities have responded guardedly to the violence in the middle of the capital, Tbilisi. A recent hearing on the matter by parliament's human rights committee was perceived by many as a pro-forma exercise, leaving the anger soon to pour out onto Facebook, where much of Georgia’s civil society and political life takes place.
Human Rights Committee Chairperson Eka Beselia, a member of the ruling Georgian Dream, said at the hearing that the committee’s conclusions essentially agree with what the nation’s most popular man, Georgian Orthodox Church Patriarch Ilia II had to say on May 17 -- that propaganda for homosexuality (what many Georgians consider the May 17 rally to be) is inadmissible. The patriarch termed the behavior of some of the priests, who led the crowd, as rude.
Arguably, some of the clerics and their supporters went well beyond rude as they attacked and chased rights activists, who ran for their lives.
In a collective statement, a group of liberal activists responded to Beselia that, unless Georgia is now a theocracy, officials and lawmakers in a secular society should be guided by the law, rather than by a spiritual leader’s statements.
The activists were particularly miffed by the committee’s casting doubts about the authenticity of 12,000 signatures under the Facebook petition to prosecute the May 17 attackers.
To provide visual evidence that there are real voters behind every signature, the signatories have posted on Facebook their photos with the numbers of their signatures.
Some add short messages such as “Hey, Beselia, I signed it and I am real."
There is no indication so far that lawmakers will, as the petitioners desire, call violence by its name, but the power of Facebook, the country’s favorite online venue for political debate and news, goes a long way in Georgia.
Giorgi Lomsadze is a journalist based in Tbilisi, and author of Tamada Tales.
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