On Oct. 23, a court in Tbilisi, Georgia, ordered the arrest of Russian citizen Nikolai Belikov, ruling that after serving his sentence he would be deported to Russia, where will likely face criminal charges over his anti-war views. While Russians have been deported from Georgia before, this is the first case under a new provision of Georgian law targeting those who take part in protests against the Georgian government. Lawyer Daria Samodurova, who spoke with both The Insider and the independent outlet TV Rain (Dozhd), is assisting lead defense attorney Mariam Chkheidze in Belikov’s case.
“Until now, there have been no deportations for violations of this kind,” Samodurova told The Insider. “Yes, some Russians have been deported, but only for illegal residence. This is the first time a Russian is being expelled for joining protests. The Georgian authorities introduced this amendment on June 26. It applies when a person has already been fined 5,000 lari ($1,841). If they are fined a second time, deportation is added as a ‘bonus.’”
In a separate interview, Samodurova told TV Rain that she has already begun preparing an application to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). “The ECHR is our only chance to stop this deportation,” she said.
Belikov’s main lawyer, Mariam Chkheidze, said that Georgia’s Migration Service sees no grounds to block the deportation, as it believes “human rights are not being violated in that country,” referring to Russia.
However, Chkheidze stresses that “if Nikolai Belikov is sent to Russia, he faces a serious risk of repression and harsher forms of violence, because he protests against Putin.”
On Oct. 24, Belikov’s attorneys filed an appeal against the decision, but such an action does not suspend the court’s ruling. Belikov is being held in a detention center in Poti, more than 300 kilometers from Tbilisi. According to the defense, this fact makes it difficult to communicate with their client.