Ukrainian Public Defender waiting for explanations from Georgia on tightening of border control for Ukrainians

Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Lyudmyla Denisova, met with the Ambassador of Georgia to Ukraine, Giorgi Zakarashvili, to discuss the issue of tightening the border control procedure for Ukrainian citizens entering Georgia.

In her post on Telegram, Denisova wrote that during the meeting with the ambassador she expressed concern over the fact that Ukrainians have experienced entry refusal since October 2021.

• Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner arrives in Georgia to meet Saakashvili in prison

Denisova also noted that she herself experienced this problem on October 26. When she arrived in Georgia to visit former president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili in prison, border guards allowed her to enter the country only after a 40-minute delay.

Denisova said the border guards did not explain the reason for the delay and did not pay attention to her diplomatic passport.

During the meeting with the Ambassador of Georgia to Ukraine, the health of Saakashvili was also discussed, as he has been on hunger strike for 32 days.

Denisova called on the Georgian authorities to provide proper medical assistance to Saakashvili and do everything to protect his fundamental right to life. Giorgi Zakarashvili promised to bring the issues raised by Denisova to the Georgian government and provide relevant explanations.

• Saakashvili’s Ukrainian lawyer claims he was denied entry to Georgia

Saakashvili’s Ukrainian lawyer Evgen Grushovets was denied entry to Georgia on October 27.

The lawyer said that he was stopped at Tbilisi International Airport and sent back to Ukraine without any explanation.

Grushovets also noted that the flight attendant referred to him as a ‘deported passenger’ and he returned to Kyiv without his passport.