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Georgia arrests Belarusian asylum seeker
Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia
July 14, Pozirk. A Belarusian national was arrested today outside the Department of Migration of the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs, human rights activist Raman Kiślak has told Pozirk.
“We stood in the heat for a whole day to file the request [Tbilisi reported air temperatures of up to 37°]. Shade—a narrow strip along the fence. The place smells like a public toilet. His turn came at 4:35 p.m., and he went in. His prepared application was accepted. After a while, they returned the application, said they wouldn’t have time to process it today, and told him to come tomorrow. He was detained on the way out,” said Kiślak.
According to the activist, who comes from the Belarusian city of Brest, the young man had failed to briefly leave Georgia to reset the clock on his allowed period of stay, 365 consecutive days. His passport had expired, and he couldn’t get a new one outside Belarus due to Alaksandar Łukašenka’s edict of September 4, 2023. “However, I regard this treatment as refusal to accept an asylum request and arbitrary detention,” the activist said.
Georgian authorities reject all Belarusian asylum requests. The ruling Georgian Dream party, accused of Kremlin links by its opponents, clashed with the European Union and the United States and recognized the Alaksandar Łukašenka regime. President Mikheil Kavelashvili, elected by the oppositionless parliament, congratulated him on his “re-election.” The methods employed to deal with the opposition are becoming increasingly reminiscent of those employed in Belarus.
On July 11, Kiślak himself received a final asylum denial, having exhausted all avenues in recent years. He must leave Georgia within 30 days. “But how can I go anywhere if my passport has expired? In this situation, I have only one road, to Belarus. There are many questions here,” the human rights activist told Pozirk.
Kiślak intends to appeal Georgia’s decision at UN bodies.
Georgia is home to about 12,000 Belarusians, who fled their country for fear of reprisals. Their number is gradually decreasing.
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