Adigeni Municipal Board Decided to Demolish Minaret in Tchela Village

Newspaper “Samkhretis Karibche”

Adigeni municipal board decided to dismantle minaret in Tchela village. Local Muslims will be fined by 200 lari for illegal installation of the minaret.

Adigeni municipal board started an administrative proceeding on an illegal installment of minaret in Chela village on August 1. A chief specialist of Service for Economy and Infrastructure at Adigeni municipal board Givi Kuljanishvili said Muslims have not provided the district administration with any documents with regard to the minaret. So, the municipal board decided to dismantle the minaret. Besides that, 200 lari fine was imposed on every Muslim person, who installed the minaret illegally.

The Municipal Board issued decree (NSS/63) on August 20, 2013. Givi Kuljanishvili clarified that the land, where mosque and minaret are located, is registered on Davit Chogadze. Local Muslims filed an application to the district administration which states that Chogadze had given the land to them as a present and request the local authority to register it on them.

“Every document is registered on Davit Chogadze and there was nothing to be clarified; there was a protocol on delivery and acceptance too. But they wrote on some paper, which was signed by 10 or 15 people, that Chogadze had given the land to them as a present. They claim they have purchased it and ask for registration. District administration does not register lands,” Kulkanishvili said. 

Davit Chogadze said he has no connection with this land and is not going to sign any document related with it.

“They want to blame one person for everything. But I am not guilty at all; I have neither constructed nor done anything there. They want to hold me responsible for the violations since the land is registered on my name; but I am not going to sign any document. We will supposedly appeal against this document; even if we do not appeal it, and the court will start discussion of this case, we will protect our rights with the support of a lawyer,” Chogadze said.

He clarified that although the land is registered on his name, he gave it to people. “There are witnesses, 8-10 people, who know that I gave my property to the people and have not used it for the last 7-8 years. They want me to take responsibility for this case, as if I had constructed the minaret there.”

Nongovernmental organization “Public Hall” also requests dismantlement of the minaret.

“We have collected about 500 signatures; we have filed it to the police and are waiting for their decision. We request the dismantlement of the minaret and are waiting for the reply,” head of the organization Goderdzi Kublashvili said.

The minaret was installed next to the mosque located in Tchela village, Adigeni district. In parallel to that, people started collection of signatures with the request to dismantle the minaret. Locals believe somebody artificially complicates the situation in the village because Muslims and orthodox people have always peacefully coexisted there for many years. 

Original text