Religious Composition of the population (4,935,880 in total)
- Orthodox Christian _____ 83.9%,
- Muslim ___________________ 9.9%,
- Armenian Apostolic ____ 3.9%,
- Catholic _________________ 0.8%,
- other ____________________ 0.8%,
- none _____________________ 0.7%
LEGISLATION
Constitution of Georgia
Article 9
1. The state shall declare complete freedom of belief and religion, as well as shall recognize the special role of the Apostle Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Georgia in the history of Georgia and its independence from the state.
Article 19
1. Everyone has the right to freedom of speech, thought, conscience, religion and belief.
2. The persecution of a person on the account of his/her speech, thought, religion or belief as well as the compulsion to express his/her opinion about them shall be impermissible.
Article I
1. The State and Church hereby confirm their will to collaborate for the population welfare maintaining principle of mutual independence.
2. The State and Church shall be authorized to make agreements on joint interest fields, and adopt proper acts for their implementation.
Article II
The State shall support protection of confession and Church secretes. A priest shall be obliged to keep information he gets as a confessor.
Law of Georgia on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination
Article 1:
This Law is intended to eliminate every form of discrimination and to ensure equal rights of every natural and legal persons under the legislation of Georgia, irrespective of race, skin color, language, sex, age, citizenship, origin, place of birth or residence, property or social status, religion or belief, national, ethnic or social origin, profession, marital status, health, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, political or other opinions, or other characteristics.
Article 5:
1. No provision of this Law may be interpreted as restricting the rights of religious associations on the basis of freedom of religion (including the right to religious worship), provided that the exercise of those rights does not violate public order, public safety, or the rights of other persons.
REPORTS
United States Department of State • Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
Georgia – International Religious Freedom Report for 2013
Freedom House
Nations in Transit, Georgia, 2014 • Special para on Freedom on religion and belief on page 253
Bertelsmann Stiftung, BTI index
Georgia Country Report, 2014 • Page 7 deals with the No interference of religious dogmas
Cultural, Educational and Youth Centre “Hayartun”
Report on Georgia’s Compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights