Russia Deports 150 Georgians

A planeload of up to 150 Georgians deported by the Russian authorities after being accused of migration offenses landed at the Tbilisi airport on October 17.

Meanwhile, officials from the Georgian Embassy in Moscow confirmed that a 48-year-old man died from an asthma attack in the Moscow airport before he was deported.

Georgian media sources reported that Tengiz Togonidze spent at least five days (some reports say 20 days) in detention in St. Petersburg where he was rounded up with other Georgians.

The Georgian Embassy in Moscow said that the death was the result of inhumane treatment of the Georgian deportees.

Reuters, quoting spokeswoman for Moscow City Court Anna Usachyova, reported that courts in Moscow have issued a total of 682 orders for deportations between October 5 and October 13.

Many deportees have to return back to Georgia via Armenia and Azerbaijan.

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