3 Russian citizens denied entry into Georgia for violating law on occupation

Three citizens of the Russian Federation, members of Russia's delegation to the film festival ‘Meeting with Russia’, have been refused entry into Georgia, announces the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

The Russian citizens arrived in Georgia on a Moscow-Tbilisi flight today to attend the Russian film festival ‘Meeting with Russia’ which, according to news agency Sputnik-Georgia, will be held in Tbilisi on November 21-23.

On November 21, 2018, the citizens of the Russian Federation arrived at Tbilisi International Airport by Moscow-Tbilisi flight. Three passengers of the flight were refused entry into country based on provision 1, Article 11 of the Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons. All the three citizens were flown back with the same flight”, read the press release published by the Interior Ministry.

Later the Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia explained that the law on occupation was violated and “we made the decision that we had to make”.

We have a lot of reasons for not letting undesirable [persons] into our country, including for violating the law on occupation”, Gakharia said.

The list of the participants from Russia includes:

• The founder and the general producer of the festival, director Vladimir Pirozhok
• Film director and the screenwriter, the creator of the children cinema magazine “Eralash” Boris Grachevski and his wife, Russian singer and actress Ekaterina Belotserkovskaya
• Producer, film director, screenwriter and actor, general producer of the cinema group 2plan2 Alexander Shein