14:41, 16 February 2018

Saakashvili's advocates challenge his deportation at ECtHR

Mikhail Saakashvili. Photo: REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

The Ukrainian authorities have deported Mikhail Saakashvili, ex-President of Georgia, before the end of all the procedures for providing him with asylum, Ruslan Chernolutsky, his advocate, has stated today.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on February 11, Mr Saakashvili stated that the State Migration Service (SMS) of Ukraine signed a package of documents on his deportation to Poland. On February 12, the State Border Service of Ukraine confirmed that Saakashvili had been sent to Poland.

Mikhail Saakashvili was deprived of his Ukrainian citizenship on July 26, 2017. On September 10, the former president of Georgia managed to return to Ukraine by breaking with his associates through the Polish-Ukrainian border. The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) initiated an investigation under Article 322 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal transfer of persons across the state border). In October 2017, the General Public Prosecutor of Ukraine stated that the SMS had refused to grant refugee status to Saakashvili.

"The authorities failed to provide Saakashvili with a chance to defend his rights to resume his citizenship and to receive additional protection," Mr Chernolutsky has stated today.

According to his story, Saakashvili's advocates intend to appeal against the decision of the Ukrainian authorities at courts. "A number of complaints have been also sent to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR)," the RIA "Novosti" quotes advocate Chernolutsky as saying.

The advocate has noted that Saakashvili's extradition will be also appealed against in the Ukrainian court.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.