Belarusian Human Rights Defender Wins Partial Victory in Georgia Court Case
Raman Kiślak, a Belarusian human rights defender, has had some success in his court case regarding his asylum application in Georgia. A Tbilisi city court ordered that the administrative act issued by the Migration Department be declared invalid.
This means that the migration department will have to reconsider Kiślak’s asylum claim. However, this decision can still be appealed. Earlier, the migration department had argued that Kiślak’s application should be denied due to an undisclosed threat to national security.
Kiślak faces serious charges in Belarus, including terrorism and treason. He said that this ruling is a rare success for Belarusians seeking refuge in Georgia. “This is the first case for Belarusians in Georgia where an appeal against the denial of asylum was at least partially satisfied,” he said.
The court proceedings were delayed several times. Discussions focused on the possible threat of the death penalty if Kiślak were deported to Belarus. Human rights groups have criticized Belarusian authorities for their treatment of Kiślak, who they say was persecuted and forced into disappearance in 2020.
Georgia has not granted asylum to any Belarusians since 2019, according to data from the Belarussian Interior Ministry. In a similar case, an Azerbaijani journalist had his asylum application denied in September 2024.
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