The Georgian government has asked the UN Human Rights Committee to reject a complaint filed by Belarusian human rights defender Raman Kislyak, who is challenging the country’s refusal to grant him asylum.
Kislyak told Pozirk that the committee had forwarded comments from the Georgian authorities and requested his response. According to him, Tbilisi argues that, in reviewing his asylum application, it thoroughly examined the human rights situation in Belarus as well as evidence, including classified information provided by Georgia’s State Security Service.
“In addition to analyzing the reasons for refusing refugee status, the court also thoroughly examined the conditions facing human rights defenders in Belarus and concluded that the threat posed to the [Georgian] state outweighs the potential violations that Mr. Kislyak may face in his home country,” he quoted from the Georgian authorities’ submission.
According to the Georgian side, the alleged security threat is “supported by reliable evidence obtained through classified counterintelligence measures and reviewed twice by the court.”
The authorities also argued that they had found no sufficient grounds to conclude that Kislyak would face the death penalty or torture. In their view, the existence of systemic human rights violations in Belarus does not in itself prove that such a threat exists for a specific individual.
The human rights defender said he had been given two months to prepare his response and intends to submit materials documenting political repression, torture and the persecution of opponents of the Belarusian authorities.
In August 2024, Kislyak filed a complaint with the UN Human Rights Committee after the Georgian authorities denied him asylum. The committee issued interim measures prohibiting Georgia from deporting the human rights defender to Belarus until it completes its review of the complaint.
Kislyak’s Belarusian passport expired in February 2024. He is unable to obtain a new passport from the Belarusian embassy in Georgia. In July this year, officers from Georgia’s border police issued him a citation for illegally remaining in the country. However, the country’s Migration Department later said it would await the decision of the UN Human Rights Committee before taking further action.
