December 3, Pozirk. Georgian officials have accepted an application for political asylum from Jaŭhien Muravicki, the Belarusian man arrested during protests in Tbilisi on November 29, human rights defender Raman Kiślak told Pozirk.
“Yesterday afternoon, four tough men in plain clothes came to Jaŭhien’s place. They were looking for him, visiting his neighbors and knocking on windows. This meant that the risk of him not making it to an embassy [to apply for a European visa] increased. We decided to apply for asylum,” Kiślak said.
Muravicki in his application cited a threat of persecution for belonging to a particular social group. He has already received threats from Belarusian police, according to Kiślak.
“There was no other way to stop Jaŭhien’s arrest and deportation. A visit to a [European] embassy does not protect you from these actions. In one case, a woman whose residence permit had been canceled was taken to the Turkish border together with her husband and child. Here, they could have taken him to the border with Russia and tell him: ‘Go,'” Kiślak explained.
Earlier, Muravicki was summoned to the migration service after being released from jail in the eastern town of Sighnaghi.
The protests in Georgia were largely sparked by the government’s decision to suspend negotiations on European Union membership.
