{"id":118099,"date":"2024-12-13T13:15:57","date_gmt":"2024-12-13T10:15:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/118099\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"belarusian-family-loses-appeal-against-asylum-denial-in-georgia","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/118099\/","title":{"rendered":"Belarusian family loses appeal against asylum denial in Georgia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

December 13, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> A judge in Tbilisi has rejected an appeal by a Belarusian family against the denial of political asylum in Georgia, human rights defender Raman Ki\u015blak has told Pozirk<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the first known Belarusian applicant that has exhausted all possible appeal options in Georgia, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Belarusian woman, her partner and child, whose names are not disclosed for security reasons, reportedly arrived in Georgia in 2019. The woman, a political activist, applied for asylum in August 2020, following the contested presidential election in Belarus. She gave birth to a child a few months later in Georgia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The woman said she participated in Belarusian protest rallies in Georgia’s Batumi, which may ensue politically-motivated persecution in Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In early 2022, the Georgian migration service denied asylum to her and her family. The appellate court has sent the case back for revision several times since then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Foreigners denied protection have one month to leave Georgia, unless there is another legal basis for staying on its territory, Ki\u015blak said. The family is now looking for other options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo far, all Belarusians, without exception, have been denied asylum both by the [Georgian] interior ministry and courts,\u201d Ki\u015blak said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier this year, Georgian authorities rejected asylum applications filed by at least two Belarusians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least 73 Belarusians applied for asylum in Georgia from 2019 to October 2024 with 31, including Ki\u015blak, already appealing denials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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