Belarusian arrested during protests in Georgia leaves for Lithuania
Jaŭhien Muravicki
December 7, Pozirk. Jaŭhien Muravicki, the Belarusian national arrested during protests in Tbilisi in late November, boarded a Vilnius-bound flight this morning, human rights defender Raman Kiślak has told Pozirk.
The Belarusian was among several foreigners arrested at protest rallies in Georgia sparked by the government’s decision to suspend negotiations on European Union membership.
After spending three days in custody Muravicki submitted an asylum request to Georgian migration authorities but later followed the advice of rights defenders and left the country.
Georgia is one of the counties where Belarusians flee fearing politically-motivated reprisals at home yet its Belarusian community is shrinking. In early 2024, 11,362 Belarusians resided in Georgia, 15 percent fewer than in 2023.
Earlier this year, Georgian authorities rejected political asylum applications by at least two Belarusians.
Belarusian PEN calls on Georgia to protect protesters' rights
December 5, Pozirk. Belarusian PEN has called on Georgia to protect demonstrators' rights, joining a statement from their fellow organizations. Earlier, PEN International and PEN Georgia called on Tbilisi to immediately stop the brutal persecution of peaceful protesters and uphold …