Prepared by Messenger Staff
Tbilisi Court of Appeals Denies Refugee Status to Temur Katamadze, Clearing Way for Deportation
The Tbilisi Court of Appeals has denied refugee or humanitarian protection to Temur Katamadze (also known as Gaffar Yilmaz), a Turkish citizen of Georgian descent, clearing the path for his imminent deportation to Turkey. Katamadze, 57, has been a visible figure in pro-European Union demonstrations in Georgia and is often referred to as the protests' "flag bearer." He has lived in Georgia since 2012.
Mariam Gabroshvili, a lawyer from the Georgian Young Lawyers' Association who is representing Katamadze, confirmed to RFE/RL's Georgian Service that both the Tbilisi City Court and the Court of Appeals have dismissed his application for protected status. With no further legal safeguards in place, deportation now appears inevitable.
Gabroshvili stated that Katamadze believes the arrest warrant issued against him is politically motivated and linked to his decades-long advocacy for the rights of the Georgian diaspora in Turkey. His activism, he claims, has made him a "target of the Turkish state."
On March 18, Tbilisi City Court Judge Diana Parkosadze rejected Katamadze's initial request for asylum. The Social Justice Center, which submitted an amicus curiae brief in his defense, has warned that deporting Katamadze could subject him to "torture and discrimination" upon arrival in Turkey.
Katamadze was detained on January 16 and is currently being held in a temporary detention facility under the Migration Department of Georgia's Ministry of Internal Affairs. He launched a hunger strike during his detention, which lasted for 48 days and caused serious health complications.
Parliament Passes Amendments to Fast-Track Party Bans
The Georgian Parliament has adopted a package of legislative amendments aimed at tightening rules on banning political parties, passing the bill in its second reading with unanimous support from 79 MPs.
The changes affect the laws On Political Unions of Citizens and On the Constitutional Court and target so-called "successor parties" that mirror previously banned parties in purpose, activity, and personnel.
One key amendment shortens the Constitutional Court's deadline for ruling on such cases to 14 days - applying this timeframe to both election and non-election periods. Previously, non-election cases could take up to nine months.
Presenting the bill, Georgian Dream MP Tornike Cheishvili said the shorter deadline was justified, as the court would already have ruled on the original party's constitutionality, making it quicker to assess successor cases.
