{"id":205356,"date":"2026-09-27T11:07:37","date_gmt":"2026-09-27T08:07:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/205356\/"},"modified":"2026-09-27T11:07:39","modified_gmt":"2026-09-27T08:07:39","slug":"belarusian-activist-seeks-meeting-with-georgian-police-officials-after-asylum-seekers-expulsion","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/205356\/","title":{"rendered":"Belarusian activist seeks meeting with Georgian police officials after asylum seeker\u2019s expulsion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

September 27, Pozirk.<\/em><\/strong> A Belarusian activist based in Georgia is seeking a meeting with local police officials following reports that a political asylum seeker was forcibly expelled from the country yesterday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maryna Zialonaja, a member of the opposition Coordination Council based in Tbilisi, has welcomed yesterday\u2019s statement from the police as a sign of readiness for dialogue. Although the police defended the expulsion of Le\u016d Michieje\u016d, \u201cthis was the first such reaction from the local authorities to an expulsion,\u201d she told Pozirk.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

She wants to discuss with Georgian authorities the legalization of Belarusians seeking political asylum in the country. Georgia has not granted a single asylum application from Belarusian nationals in the past five years under the Georgian Dream government, which has become increasingly hostile toward Belarusian political activists and has cooperated with Belarus\u2019 authoritarian government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michieje\u016d applied for political asylum in 2021, but his request was rejected in late September 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He appealed the decision to the Tbilisi City Court and the Court of Appeals, which reportedly upheld the migration department\u2019s decision. Since June 29, Michieje\u016d had no longer been considered an asylum seeker in Georgia, ministry officials said, referring to him as \u201can undocumented immigrant.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was arrested yesterday and said he had been forcibly taken to the Armenian border, although the Georgian police claimed he had \u201cexercised his legal right\u201d and left the country voluntarily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yerevan, which has been pursuing closer ties with the European Union, does not extradite Belarusian activists persecuted for political reasons. Armenia detained Michieje\u016d upon his entry because he is listed in a Commonwealth of Independent States database of wanted criminals, but released him the same day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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