Prepared by Messenger Staff
Georgian Public Defender Meets U.S. Officials in Washington
Georgian Public Defender Levan Ioseliani met with U.S. State Department officials in Washington to discuss the human rights situation in Georgia, his office said on September 10.
Ioseliani met representatives from several State Department offices, including those responsible for European and Eurasian affairs, democracy and human rights, international narcotics and law enforcement, and foreign assistance.
He briefed U.S. officials on major human rights developments in Georgia and presented recommendations from his office.
"Particular interest was expressed in freedom of expression, the importance of conducting effective investigations, and the rights of religious and ethnic minorities," the Public Defender's Office said.
The talks also covered the human rights situation of people living in Georgia's Russian-occupied territories.
Ioseliani referred to the "many years of cooperation" between his office and U.S. institutions and said Georgia sought to continue strengthening democratic principles. He also expressed hope that U.S. support for the process would continue.
Georgian Church Rejects Use of Saint Gabriel's Name by Russian Military Unit
The Georgian Orthodox Church has condemned the use of Saint Gabriel Urgebadze's name for a military unit fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, calling it "utterly unheard-of" and "categorically unacceptable."
The Patriarchate's statement followed a RIA Novosti report that Georgian volunteers had delivered motorcycles and prayer rooms to Russian forces in the occupied Donetsk region, including a unit reportedly named after Gabriel Urgebadze.
Andria Jagmaidze, head of the Patriarchate's public relations department, said the Church had not been consulted.
"The Georgian Orthodox Church distances itself from the fact that the name of the Venerable Gabriel, Confessor and Fool-for-Christ, is being used to justify or support military actions," Jagmaidze said, according to the Church-run Sapatriarkos Utskebani.
He said the monk's name should not be associated with a military unit, noting that Saint Gabriel's life was devoted to faith, love and compassion.
Gabriel Urgebadze died in 1995 and was canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church in 2012. His grave in Mtskheta is a major pilgrimage site for Georgian Orthodox Christians.
