Tsikhanouskaya admitted she can do little to help Belarusians in Georgia
Georgian authorities have promised not to deport Belarusian citizens back to Belarus, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said during hearings in Warsaw on February 7 at the Coordination Council. But that's probably all that Belarusian democratic forces have managed to achieve in this area, writes «Pozirk».
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Photo: Chris J Ratcliffe Bloomberg via Getty Images
Maryna Zialionaya, a delegate of the Coordination Council living in Georgia, noted that at least 86 applications for international protection have been filed recently, but none of them have received a positive response. Some cases are already being considered in human rights courts. Zialionaya inquired what Tsikhanouskaya's Office and the United Transitional Cabinet are doing for Belarusians in Georgia, especially for those whose passports have expired.
Tsikhanouskaya responded that previously, when the authorities in Georgia were different, relations were good, issues of assistance to Belarusians were discussed, and cooperation was established. With the current government, relations are "practically non-existent": inquiries and requests are not considered, and international meetings do not take place. According to the democratic leader, the situation for Belarusians in Georgia is difficult, and the country has become "a pain for Belarusian democratic forces on the international arena".
The only thing that has been obtained from the current Georgian government is an indirect promise that Belarusians will not be deported back to Belarus. However, there are no mechanisms in Georgia to renew an expired Belarusian passport, and the authorities do not grant asylum to Belarusian citizens. In emergency situations, however, it is possible to try to evacuate people thanks to the assistance of human rights defenders and solidarity funds.
Tsikhanouskaya recommends that those whose passports are still valid consider moving to other countries, even to Armenia, where the communication situation with the government is currently better.
Thanks to its visa-free regime and favorable conditions of stay, Georgia was one of the main countries to which people who participated in mass protests after the 2020 presidential elections emigrated after the repressions in Belarus. Currently, Belarusians can stay in Georgia for a year without interruption, after which, to "reset" their period of stay, they must leave the country for any period. Not everyone can return, however, and those who display public political activity are primarily at risk.