Georgian political analysts warn authorities against extradition of Belarus' citizens

The special services of Georgia and Belarus have agreed on cooperation, including in countering crimes against the constitutional order. Georgian authorities should refrain from extraditing citizens of Belarus, as this may result in Western sanctions for aiding the Minsk political regime, Georgian political analysts have noted.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on August 13, 2020, activists in Tbilisi and Batumi called on the Georgian authorities not to recognize the results of the presidential election in Belarus.

The citizens of Belarus living in Georgia were worried about the special services' agreement. "After the story of the kidnapping of journalist Afghan Mukhtarly, we fear that something similar may happen to us," Ekaterina, a native of Belarus, has explained.

According to her story, Georgia is the only country, where one can fly from Belarus.

According to the laws of Georgia, in relation to persons seeking asylum or residing in the country, extradition cannot be carried out automatically at the request of another country, said Dito Nozaidze, a lawyer of the Human Rights Centre. After the West had introduced sanctions against Belarus, the Georgian government should completely rule out the extradition of this country's citizens, he has added, pointing to the case of Ramzan Akhyadov, whom Georgia handed over to Russia in 2019 despite protests from the opposition and human rights defenders.

Nika Chitadze, a political analyst, also believes that given the political isolation of Belarus, Georgia should refrain from extraditing this country's citizens.