Belarusian Activist Denied Entry to Georgia
Belarusian activist Dmitry Grinkevich has been denied entry to Georgia, the Belarusian outlet Pozirk reported on May 8, citing human rights defender Raman Kislyak. The official reason for the entry ban remain unclear.
Kislyak, who is still awaiting a decision on his asylum application in Georgia, said Grinkevich was an active member of the Belarusian diaspora in Georgia’s western region of Adjara. In 2023, Grinkevich and Belarusian opposition journalist Andrei Mialeshka interviewed Kislyak during a protest outside a police station in Batumi. Mialeshka was also denied entry to Georgia in September 2024. He, along with his family, had been living in Georgia since fleeing Belarus for political reasons in 2021.
Speaking to Pozirk, Grinkevich said he and a friend traveled from Batumi to Tbilisi on the morning of May 8, then crossed into Armenia in an attempt to reset his visa-free stay in Georgia. According to him, Georgian border guards mistreated him as he was leaving the country. When he attempted to return from Armenia, he was reportedly held for about an hour and a half before being issued a document barring his re-entry into Georgia.
This case follows a broader pattern of reported entry denials by Georgian authorities targeting activists, human rights defenders, journalists, and political figures. Critics have characterized these decisions as politically motivated. The MIA expelled 96 foreign nationals in April. Amid the heightened criticism of refusals for entry to journalists and civil activists, amendments have been proposed at the GD parliament to Georgia’s Code of Criminal and Administrative Offenses that would introduce two new penalties specifically for foreign nationals: expulsion from Georgia and a ban on entry. The draft legislation also expands grounds for expulsion, mandates biometric data collection for undocumented migrants, and imposes harsher penalties for offenses committed by foreign nationals.
Also Read:
- 31/03/2025 – French Photojournalist Denied Entry to Georgia
- 23/10/2024 – Czech Journalist Denied Entry to Georgia
- 17/09/2024 – Armenian Journalist Denied Entry to Georgia
- 16/09/2024 – Belarusian Journalist Denied Entry to Georgia, Faces Deportation
- 28/02/2024 – Confirming the Trend, Georgia Denies Entry to Another Putin Critic
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