Georgian Public Defender Nino Lomjaria became the target of pro-Kremlin and antiliberal groups after Bishop Spiridon (Abuladze) of Skhalta refused to permit the Public Defender’s monitoring visit to the Orthodox Church-run Ninotsminda orphanage.
Myth Detector has identified the actors involved in the campaign of discrediting the Public Defender on social and traditional media. In particular:
- Pro-Kremlin political parties: Alliance of Patriots; Unity, Essence, Hope; Georgian March; Georgian Idea
- Pro-Kremlin media outlets: News Front; Georgia and World; Alt-Info; Obieqtivi
- Pro-Kremlin organizations: Primakov Georgian-Russian Public Center; Eurasian Institute; Center for Combating Islamic Terrorism
- Antiliberal: Asaval-Dasavali; Union of Human Rights Defenders; Georgian Mission
- Member of Georgian Public Broadcaster’s Board of Trustees: Bondo Mdzinarashvili
- Anti-vaxxer: Tina Topuria
The following narratives were revealed on traditional media:
- Bishop Spiridon is attacked due to his views about LGBT community, Russia and vaccines and the Ninotsminda orphanage is simply used as the pretext.
- The Public Defender and social workers are propagandizing perversion and their relations with children should be restricted.
- Nino Lomjaria is lobbying pedophiles and human organ traders.
- Liberals are violating the rights of children living in the orphanage.
- Reports about violation of children’s rights in the orphanage are exaggerated.
- The Public Defender should show interest not towards the Orthodox Church-run orphanage, but rather the boarding schools in Adjara financed by Turkey.
- The Public Defender protects the interests of small marginal groups, not Georgian people.
- The Public Defender’s Office and children’s rights organizations are ruled by foreign forces.
- The Public Defender’s institution should be abolished and Nino Lomjaria must resign.
|
Message |
Source |
|
|
ნინოწმინდის პანსიონს ეკლესიაზე და მართლმადიდებლურ ღირებულებებზე თავდასხმის საბაბად იყენებენ |
Obieqtivi, Irma Inashvili, Alliance of Patriots: “Abolition of any type of religious education is one of the main requirements of pseudo and ultra-liberalism… This incorrect and, I would say, reckless approach has already reached us and today, Saakashvilis, Bokerias, Lomjarias, and let me stress, Kobakhidzes and Tikaradzes are fighting against the Orthodox Church-run educational institutions.”
Levan Vasadze, Unity, Essence, Hope: “Bishop Spiridon is the target and victim of a dirtiest smear campaign… It is part of the program aimed to weaken the authority and traditional values of the Georgian Orthodox Church.” Sandro Bregadze, Georgian March: “The Church should have been under pressure, the Church should have been on the defensive and they should have discredited the Church and ruined its reputation as much as possible and this should have happened before July 5 [pride parade].” Alt-Info, Zurab Makharadze, Alt-Info: “They plan to morally destroy both the Church and traditional society so that Lomjaria, various non-governmental organizations and all LGBT activists, who are falsely protecting children’s rights, decide now how children should be brought up.” Dimitri Lortkipanidze, the Primakov Georgian-Russian Public Center: “…We have witnessed a hysterical, vicious attack carried out with cold-blooded cynicism, as well as an effort to discredit the Church, bishops, which was deliberately and methodically made by specific people, including the so-called Public Defender.” Asaval-Dasavali, Editorial Board: “Prevent the operation Cyanide-2 against the Georgian Church carried out by Nino Lomjaria! Do not give up children to Satanist-Sodomites.” Bondo Mdzinarashvili, member of Georgian Public Broadcaster’s Board of Trustees: “…First, they are targeting this particular educational institution! Then, they will attack all other Orthodox Church-run boarding schools and orphanages! They are intensifying their efforts to carry out a large-scale attack against our Church, Orthodoxy! You will see quite soon how strongly they will attack!” News Front, Zaur Nachkebia, author: “The Public Defender’s endless cackling and deliberate clucking of NGO’s indicate that a massive attack is currently underway against the Church and the government is supporting it.” Georgia and World, Jaba Zhvania, journalist: “It can be said that the false alarm deliberately raised by Lomjaria around the Ninotsminda orphanage has overgrown into a large-scale anti-church, anti-Orthodox and anti-Georgian campaign. All liberal wings, from so-called human rights defenders to LGBT propagandists, are participating in the attack.” |
|
|
Liberals are violating the rights of children living in the orphanage |
Levan Chachua, Georgian Idea: “What other cases of bullying there may be, when these children see on TVs in such an orchestrated manner that some depraved and perverted people are saying that violence, including sexual violence, is taking place at their orphanage; this is nothing but a crime.” Obieqtivi, Giorgi Kasradze, host: “Representatives of liberal society, liberal monsters would be attacking this orphanage.” |
|
|
Reports about violation of children’s rights in the orphanage are exaggerated |
Bondo Mdzinarashvili, journalist: “An ideal situation has never been in any orphanage, neither in the past, nor today; naturally, it could not have been in the Ninotsminda foster home either; similarly, an ideal situation has never been in any public school!” News Front, Nana Rekhviashvili, opinion journalist: “An investigation should be carried out and if it finds that the facts have been exaggerated, this so-called defender must resign and be held accountable, as well as those people who used these children! This way of interrogating children is not correct… a victim of serious psychological and physical violence does not tell about childhood traumas so calmly… the facts have been exaggerated and that is obvious!” |
|
|
The Public Defender and social workers are propagandizing perversion and their relations with children should be restricted |
Guram Palavandishvili, Georgian Idea: “These people involved in the propaganda of perversion are talking to our children and contaminating their minds… Bishop Spiridon is absolutely right when he does not allow Lomjaria’s perverted agents to visit the orphanage.” Obieqtivi, Irma Inashvili, Alliance of Patriots: “The Orthodox Church-run educational institutions do not bring up children as homosexuals, lesbians, bisexuals and so on. The Orthodox Church-run educational institutions bring up girls as ladies, not miners, while boys are grown up as men and they are not taught how to play with dolls. In Ms. Lomjaria’s opinion, it is equal to violating children’s rights.” Spiridon Abuladze, Bishop of Skhalta: „These are people who are officially demanding the legalization of same-sex marriage … I have to care for the souls of those children, I am responsible to God for the souls of those children and I think that I cannot give them to this depraved and perverted woman for ripping them apart.” Asaval-Dasavali, June 7 -13, Giorgi Gigauri, journalist “Why should one let these Sodomites who are the walking banners preaching perversion get closer to children?!…” Alt-Info, Tatia Gabritchidze, host: “I will show you the statement made by children’s rights defenders, who are, simultaneously, actively protecting the rights of LGBT people and are actively appearing at pride parades.” News Front, Zaur Nachkebia, author: “As for Nino Lomjaria, she supports the legalization of same-sex marriage. So, not only she is a defender of the interests of homosexuals and lesbians, but she is an active propagandist.”
|
|
|
The Public Defender should show interest not towards the Orthodox Church-run orphanage, but rather the boarding schools in Adjara financed by Turkey. |
Obieqtivi, Irma Inashvili, Alliance of Patriots: „Ms. Nino Lomjaria does not care about the fates of Georgian students in Turkish schools, which do not recognize Georgian educational standards…” Taonews, Nikoloz Mzhavanadze, Union of Human Rights Defenders: “Nino Lomjaria – the enemy of Christ and Church – why do not you show interest towards Muslim boarding schools in Adjara?” Asaval-Dasavali, June 7-13, Giorgi Gigauri, journalist: “If you had not been Satanists fighting against Orthodoxy, you would have inspected Muslim boarding schools financed by Turkey in Adjara and would have showed interest towards violating the rights of Georgian children sent to Muslim educational institutions in Turkey! But you will not receive grants for such actions.”
|
|
|
Bishop Spiridon is attacked due to his views about LGBT community, Russia and vaccines and the Ninotsminda orphanage is simply used as the pretext. |
Dimitri Lortkipanidze, Primakov Georgian-Russian Public Center: “They attacked Bishop Spiridon [Abuladze] outrageously and why? Because Bishop Spiridon actually was the first Bishop who disclosed from his ambo an unchanged policy of Sodomization, which has been imposed on the country from outside.” News Front, Gulbaat Rtskhiladze, Eurasian Institute: “Bishop Spiridon is the firm foundation in our church who is not afraid of saying what others are reluctant to say – Georgia will not be rescued by the European Union and NATO. Georgian should be seeking priority ties with Orthodox Russia. Since Bishop Spiridon is intolerant towards LGBT propaganda, the campaign unleashed against him has further intensified and accelerated…” Tina Topuria, anti-vaxxer, homeopath: “Earlier, Bishop Spiridon contacted us, he showed interest towards the issue of vaccination and a joint online conference was held upon his initiative with the participation of microbiologists, biologists, doctors, including 89 scientists… It triggered attacks against his eparchy and the orphanage…” |
|
|
The Public Defender protects the interests of small marginal groups, not Georgian people |
Obieqtivi, Irma Inashvili, Alliance of Patriots: “Since the day of her appointment as the Public Defender, Nino Lomjaria has been actively protecting the rights of homosexuals, lesbians, bisexuals, sex-changed people, transsexuals, on the one hand, and the rights of representatives of religious minorities and religious sects, on the other. But she never protects the rights of Orthodox people, the rights of Georgian people.” Zura Makharadze, one of the founders of Alt-Info: “[Nino Lomjaria] is everything but the Public Defender! The Public Defender protects everyone except Georgian people. She protects 20-member sects, she protects propagandists of perversion, but they have nothing to say when the values, religion, belief of the absolute majority of Georgian people are insulted.” |
|
|
The Public Defender’s Office and children’s rights organizations are ruled by foreign forces. |
Obieqtivi, Irma Inashvili, Alliance of Patriots: “On April 15, 2020, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) allocated a special grant for protecting children’s rights, especially those children who are victims of violence or oppression… Lomjaria is cooperating with all those foundations that are receiving such grants. Shortly, grants have been allocated and now a perpetrator should be found. If a perpetrator cannot be found, someone should be defamed and this should be the Orthodox Church.”
Ramaz Gagnidze, Georgian Mission: “It is related to grants. They called them that they want grants, or grants should be allocated and therefore, a struggle against these orphanages run by the Orthodox Church should be launched again… They are teamed up with the Devil and they have horns on their heads.” Spiridon Abuladze, Bishop of Skhalta: “Sodomite-homosexuals are exerting a terrible pressure on Georgian people. Anna Chernyshova. UNDP head, forces Georgia to immediately allow the visit of public depraver, propagandist of Sodomy-homosexuality, Lomjaria to the Ninotsminda orphanage.” Dimitri Lortkipanidze, Primakov Georgian-Russian Public Center: “Public Defender – it is a conditional name of Lomjaria’s post, because in fact, she is a saboteur of a foreign country who spearheads the fight against the Orthodox Church according to the instructions received from outside.” Asaval-Dasavali, May 24-30, Jaba Khubua, journalist: |
|
|
The Public Defender’s institution should be abolished and Nino Lomjaria must resign. |
Levan Vasadze, Unity, Essence, Hope: “Nino Lomjaria should resign. We demand the new Public Defender who will replace her to show respect and obedience to the traditions of our country.” Dimitri Lortkipanidze, Primakov Georgian-Russian Public Center: “I think that it [Public Defender’s Office] is an absolute rudiment, the institution financed by 10 million from our pockets, from the pockets of Georgian citizens, rudiment, absolutely useless institution and therefore, I think, it should be abolished!” Davit Tarkhan-Mouravi, Alliance of Patriots: “From tomorrow, our team – the Alliance of Patriots of Georgia – will be beginning collection of signatures. We will have to sign two documents – first, we trust the Georgian Orthodox Church, we trust the educational institutions run by the Orthodox Church, and second, we do not trust Georgian Public Defender Nino Lomjaria…” |
|
|
Nino Lomjaria is lobbying pedophiles and human organ traders. |
Asaval-Dasavali, June 14-20, Shota Apkhaidze, Center for Combating Islamic Terrorism: “Nino Lomjaria wrapped herself in a gown of Georgian Public Defender to carry out her and her associates’ evil deeds – to hush up lobbying of pedophiles and illegal human organ trade! Nino Lomjaria, Tamar Kintsurashvili and their entire sect, who are frequently participating in the forums of pedophiles, are masking their dirty intentions and pedophilia lobbying by allegedly working on these issues together with psychologists…”
News Front, Dachi Lezhava, author: “Nino Lomjaria, who officially holds the position of the Georgian Public Defender, actually is an influential member of the world pedophilia and human organ trade lobby. That is why Lomjaria is so active regarding children’s issues that is masked by fighting for children’s rights, but it is a fiction. In fact, Lomjaria started to form a platform of donor children and pedophilia in Georgia.” |
|
Social media messages targeting the Public Defender and children’s rights defenders
Part of the messages spread on social media were identical to those spread on traditional media. Myth Detector has identified 17 pages and four groups (ერთობა (Unity), ლევან ვასაძე – ერთობა, რაობა, იმედი (მხარდამჭერათა გაერთიანება) (Levan Vasadze – Unity, Essence, Hope (Union of Supporters), ლევან ვასაძის მხარდამჭერები levan vasadze (Levan Vasadze’s Supporters), ალტერნატივა საქართველოსთვის – მხარდამჭერები (Alternative for Georgia – Supporters)) that were involved in the campaign related to the Ninotsminda orphanage. Facebook accounts of representatives of pro-Russian, antiliberal and religious groups (Sandro Bregadze, Nikoloz Mzhavanadze, Guram Palavandishvili, Levan Chachua, Andria Jamgaidze) were also spreading identical messages. Anti-vaccination Facebook users (Tina Topuria, Nona Agdgomelashvili) also responded to the issue of the Ninotsminda orphanage on social media.
Message No.1: The Public Defender and liberals are fighting against the Church
On June 3, Nikoloz Mzhavanadze, former host of Obieqtivi TV and founder of taonews.ge, an online media outlet, published a post, accusing Georgian Public Defender Nino Lomjaria of “fighting against the Orthodox Church.” Lomjaria was accused of “gay propaganda” and fighting against the Church by users of Facebook group “ალტერნატივა საქართველოსთვის – მხარდამჭერები” (Alternative for Georgia – Supporters), Alt Info, leader of Georgian March, Sandro Bregadze, Facebook account “სუვერენული სახელმწიფო” (Sovereign State) and religious page ალილო მარნეულში (Alilo in Marneuli), while the pages Liberastuli Seni (Liberast Disease) and სიმართლე (Truth) dubbed Nino Lomjaria as “a godless fighter.”
Message No.2: LGBT people and pride activists are trying to enter the Ninotsminda orphanage
On May 22 and June 1, Facebook user Beka Vardosanidze published the posts, claiming that Nino Lomjaria requested the visit of LGBT activists to the Ninotsminda orphanage. An identical message was voiced in the posts published by Guram Palavandishvili of Georgian Idea. Facebook page zneoba.ge, ბავშვთა უფლებების დამცველთა საზოგადოება (Organization for the Protection of Children’s Rights) and კონსერვატორული პლატფორმა (Conservative Platform) accused the Public Defender of “gay propaganda”. The issues of the Ninotsminda orphanage and pride parade were interlinked by Andria Jamgaidze, Spokesperson of the Georgian Orthodox Church. Jamgaidze’s post was shared to the group ერთობა (Unity).
Message No.3: Bishop Spiridon is a victim of slander and we should support him
Facebook pages დიდ ხარ შენ უფალო, კარდჰუ, საპატრიარქოს ჩოხისანთა საზოგადოება., qadageba.ge, Alt ინფო and ქართული გვერდი/Georgian Page, as well as Facebook user Arsen Popkhadze published the posts supporting Bishop Spiridon to Facebook group ერთობა. The posts published by Facebook groups ალტერნატივა საქართველოსთვის – მხარდამჭერები and ლევან ვასაძის მხარდამჭერები followed suit. A fragment from Stephane Karalaijashvili’s sermon, where he calls on the parish to fight against liberals, was shared to the group ერთობა.
As part of the campaign supporting Bishop Spiridon, a user of Facebook group ერთობა shared a video/photo collage taken at the Ninotsminda orphanage years ago. The page ბავშვთა უფლებების დაცვის საზოგადოება uploaded several videos showing former beneficiaries of the orphanage, who denied reports about the facts of violence in the orphanage as slander and absurd.
Message No.4: Nino Lomjaria propagandizes perversion, so she must resign
Levan Chichua, founder of Georgian Idea, and Sandro Bregadze, leader of Georgian March, published the posts targeting Nino Lomjaria. One of the posts published by Bregadze is accompanied by a video, showing Georgian March activists burning Lomjaria’s photo in the street. In another post, Sandro Bregadze dubs Nino Lomjaria and Ana Abashidze as “depraved” persons and “uncertain creatures.” Facebook page კონსერვატორი (Conservative) shared a video featuring Levan Vasadze addressing the rally outside the Public Defender’s Office on June 7, where he dubs Lomjaria as a defender of “the most depraved people” and a people’s enemy. The Facebook page belonging to Irakli Jankarashvili, editor of a pro-Russian media outlet tvalsazrisi.ge, as well as Facebook page “Fაქტები” and users of Facebook group ლევან ვასაძე – ერთობა, რაობა, იმედი (მხარდამჭერთა ჯგუფი) also spread discrediting posts against Nino Lomjaria.
Message No.5: Ana Abashidze is a depraved person who hates Georgians
Ana Abashidze, head of Partnership for Human Rights, also became the target of discrediting campaign. One of the users of Facebook group ერთობა published a fragment from Alt-Info’s program Alt Analytics. In the video, the program host shows a fragment from Mtavari Arkhi’s TV story, where Ana Abashidze notes that after quitting the Ninotsminda orphanage, children were used for reproduction of ethnic Georgian population in the region that she considered “inhuman.” In response to Abashidze’s remarks, the program hosts used swear words against her, calling her a fascist. In the following days, the video was uploaded by Facebook pages Fაქტები and მოძრაობა ძლევაი საკვირველი. Facebook page კონსერვატიული პლატფორმა spread the same quote by Abashidze without a context.
Message No.6: Children are being removed from the orphanage to conduct experiments on them
Georgian anti-vaxxers, Tina Topuria and Nona Agdgomelashvili, linked the issue of the Ninotsminda orphanage to the coronavirus vaccines. Tina Topuria said during an online program სალტე that children are being removed from the orphanage to test experimental vaccines on them. The same message was voiced by Nona Agdgomelashvili in her Facebook post.
Myth Detector has already focused on the Ninotsminda orphanage in its earlier articles:
