OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
MAY 12, 2021
Executive Summary
The constitution provides for freedom of religion or belief and separation of government and religion. Throughout the year, the government consulted with international legal scholars regarding draft updates to the law on religion, and on August 6, it officially requested a joint opinion from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission. On October 12, the OSCE end Venice Commission issued their joint opinion, stating that while the draft provided some improved protections, it also allowed the government to maintain strict and excessive control over religion and religious freedom. It also stated, “The Draft Law should be substantially revised in order to ensure its full compliance with international human rights standards and OSCE human dimension commitments.” At year’s end, the draft remained under discussion in parliament. The government
âBeginningâ Review: Faith Under Attack
Dea Kulumbegashviliâs debut feature ensnares its heroine in circles of religious and patriarchal persecution.
Ia Sukhitashvili in âBeginning.âCredit.Mubi
By Devika Girish
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The boxy frame of the camera turns into a trap in âBeginning,â the masterful debut feature by the Georgian filmmaker Dea Kulumbegashvili. For the filmâs opening, the camera plants itself on one end of a small Jehovahâs Witness Kingdom Hall and stays there, unmoving, as the congregants slowly filter in and the preacher begins his sermon. It doesnât budge even when, nearly eight uninterrupted minutes into the shot, a Molotov cocktail flies into the room and explodes into flames, scattering the panicked worshipers.