Роман Кисляк. Фото из Facebook
Georgian police have issued a report against Belarusian human rights defender Raman Kisliak for illegally staying in the country. As he told Pozirk, officers from the Border Police of Georgia’s Interior Ministry visited his home on July 16 as part of checks targeting foreign nationals residing in the country without legal status.
The officers warned that, if ordered to do so, they could take him to the Migration Department in handcuffs. Following a telephone conversation with the department, he was instructed to appear there voluntarily on July 21.
Kisliak’s Belarusian passport expired in February 2024. He has been unable to obtain a new passport from the Belarusian embassy in Tbilisi because of the “passport decree” issued by Aliaksandr Lukashenka. A temporary identity document previously issued by the Georgian authorities has also expired, and, according to Kisliak, he has not been provided with a replacement.
At the same time, Kisliak remains protected by interim measures ordered by the UN Human Rights Committee, which is considering his complaint over the Georgian authorities’ refusal to grant him asylum.
Following the police visit, the human rights defender filed a complaint regarding the actions of the Migration Department, alleging that the agency has failed to consider his applications to regularize his stay in the country since October 2025.
Kisliak intends to visit the department on July 21, although he does not rule out the possibility of being detained. He said he believes the risk remains low because of the interim measures ordered by the UN Human Rights Committee.
In March 2026, the Georgian authorities effectively rejected Kisliak’s asylum application for a second time. At the time, he said he had no official status—neither as an asylum seeker nor as a person subject to deportation proceedings. Because he lacks valid identity documents, his bank cards have been blocked, and he has also faced difficulties visiting imprisoned Belarusian citizens.
Georgia became one of the countries to which many Belarusians relocated to escape political persecution. However, the country’s authorities have consistently rejected asylum applications submitted by Belarusian citizens.