Belarusian asylum seeker detained in Georgia after waiting for protection since 2021
Леў Міхееў (Leu Mikheyeu, left) and Раман Кісляк (Roman Kislyak) in Tbilisi / Раман Кісляк
In Georgia, a Belarusian named Leu Mikheyeu has been detained. He has been waiting for political asylum since 2021. His detention was reported by the outlet Pozirk, citing human rights defender Roman Kislyak.
Mikheyeu, according to Kislyak, has been waiting for asylum for longer than almost any other Belarusian. In Georgia, he took part in various protests and received threats from the Belarusian KGB.
Recently, the man contacted the international protection unit of the Migration Department of the Georgian Interior Ministry to renew his temporary identity document. On the morning of 25 September, he was detained in a village and taken to the department for an interview, which he managed to inform Kislyak about. After that, contact was lost.
Kislyak claims that Mikheyeu's case is before the Tbilisi Court of Appeals. It is believed that he still holds the status of an asylum seeker. "But it is possible that the case has already been reviewed and he was not informed. In that case, he could be detained for deportation," the human rights defender says.
Mikheyeu could be deported to his country of origin — Belarus — or to other countries.
