Locals beat wife of Hajji in Kakheti village

Suliko Khozrevanidze. (ICK.)

TBILISI, DFWatch–Locals attacked and beat the wife of the Hajji in the village Samtatskharo Friday, only weeks after the religious conflict there seemed to have been solved.

Locals had earlier prevented Muslims from conducting Friday prayer for three weeks, but the prayer block was ended after a government minister intervened. Yesterday, people came with batons to the house of a Muslim and beat his wife after the Friday prayer.

Police was mobilized at the house which Muslims use to pray. After a peaceful Friday prayer, the police left. Then the locals went to the Hajji’s house and attacked his wife, warning the rest of the Muslims to leave the village, Information Center of Kakheti (ICK) reports from Samtatskharo village.

Muslims bought the house a few weeks ago in order to have a place to pray, but three weeks in a row the local population enforced a block outside and prevented them from praying.

June 14, the minister of reintegration arrived in the village to attend the prayer and let Muslims have a peaceful Friday prayer, which was conducted without any incidents.

On Friday, June 28, Hajji Suliko Khozrevanidze told ICK that the population gathered at his house demanding to answer why they were praying.

“When my wife came to talk, they hit her and she fell injuring her leg,” he said.