Georgian Orthodox Church has blamed General Director of Public Broadcaster Tamar Kintsurashvili of dismissing employees on religious grounds and banning live broadcast of a Christmas liturgy on January 7. Tamar Kintsurashvili has already strongly denied both of these accusations.

“Our major complain is triggered by the fact that leadership of the Public Television bans employees to hold religious symbols and icons in the offices and sacks without any reason orthodox believers,” Mikael Botkoveli, Secretary of the Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church, said on March 14.

“Moreover, our extreme concern was triggered after we have learnt that Tamar Kintsurashvili has banned to carry out live broadcast of the Christmas liturgy via the Public Broadcaster,” he added.

But Tamar Kintsurashvili said on the same day that some of former employees of the television, who were dismissed recently “deliberately disseminate disinformation.”

“It is very pity that dismissed employees are speculating with this issue. I am going to clarify the issue with all the interested parties,” Kintsurashvili told Rustavi 2 television.

She also said that live broadcast was impossible from the Christmas liturgy, citing technical reasons, which has nothing to do with religion.