Archimandrite Dorothe Qurashvili is visiting Levan Khabeishvili, the Chairman of the Political Council of the “National Movement,” in Rustavi Prison.
As he told journalists before entering the prison, Levan Khabeishvili spoke only about freedom and people’s rights in his statements, and for this, he should not be in prison.
“Levan [Khabeishvili] has not said anything that contradicts either ecclesiastical or state legislation; he speaks only about freedom and the rights of the people, so he cannot be in prison for this, especially not be denied communion—such a crime has not been committed by him. We cannot interfere with what the state decides; we have no leverage in this regard, but from an ecclesiastical perspective, Levan has committed no crime, and therefore, we are obliged to give communion to a person who is in distress.
Many rallies were announced before October 4, and we all had the right to do so. I don’t understand why October 4 has become dangerous, because politicians have this right, and it’s not the first time. If it were the first time, I might suspect they did something wrong. When democracy doesn’t work, then what Levan is saying happens. I hope, on behalf of both the government and the people, that no blood will be shed. Enough blood has already been spilled, especially since we’ve already gone through the 1990s, and neither the people nor the government will allow this on October 4. Therefore, peaceful protest is always permissible and acceptable, and no one should shed blood. I say this to both the people and the government: the people have no intention of doing so, but there have been several instances from the government, which is a big mistake, and it must not be repeated,” stated Archimandrite Dorothe Qurashvili.
Archimandrite Dorothe Qurashvili before entering Rustavi Prison: I don’t understand why October 4 has become dangerous; when democracy doesn’t work, what Levan Khabeishvili is talking about happens—peaceful protest is permissible, and no one should shed blood
