Belarusian Man Who Has Been Awaiting Political Asylum for Five Years Detained in Georgia

Reform.news Editorial Team · 25 September 2026, 15:14

https://reform.news/en/belarusian-man-who-has-been-awaiting-political-asylum-for-five-years-detained-in-georgia/

Georgia has detained Belarusian citizen Leu Mikheyeu, who has been awaiting a decision on his application for international protection since 2021. Human rights defender Raman Kisliak told Pozirk.

According to him, on the morning of Sept. 25, Mikheyeu went to the international protection department of the Migration Department of Georgia’s Interior Ministry in the village of Martkopi to renew his temporary identity document. He was detained there and taken to the department in Tbilisi for an interview. Before that, he managed to inform Kisliak about what was happening, after which contact with him was lost.

“Leu’s case was under consideration for about three years. As of today, presumably, he has the status of an asylum seeker, and the case is before the Tbilisi Court of Appeals. But it is possible that it has already been considered and he was not informed. In that case, he could be detained for deportation,” Kisliak said.

He also noted that Mikheyeu had participated in various rallies in Georgia and received threats from the Belarusian KGB.

According to Kisliak, if Mikheyeu is deported, he could be sent either to Belarus or to another country.

Georgia has not granted asylum to any Belarusian citizen. In the first half of 2026, 24 Belarusians were expelled from the country. In June this year, a former Belarusian political prisoner, whose name was not disclosed, was deported from Georgia to Armenia for the first time.