Journalist Gudadze who fled to Russia from Georgia ready to go on hunger strike for homecoming

The Georgian journalist Levan Gudadze, who fled to Russia in early September of 2009, wants to return to Georgia, because of lack of safety guarantees for him and his family. To achieve his return, he is ready to go on hunger strike near the Swiss Embassy in Moscow.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Levan Gudadze, who applied in September 2009 for political asylum in South Ossetia, then hoped to obtain a political refugee status in Russia and continue working as professional journalist.

Now Gudadze has issued a statement explaining the reasons for his frustration with Russia. The journalist has noted that the Russian FSB had several times offered him cooperation, but each time he refused, "after which his safe and peaceful stay in Russia became impossible."

His statement further says that "the safety of him and his family in Georgia will be better secured than in Russia."

"Therefore, I am forced to resort to extreme forms of protest and try to draw the attention of Tbilisi and bring my family home. We have no chances to survive in the territory of Russia," the "News-Georgia" quotes Levan Gudadze's statement.

This statement is not the first journalist's appeal to Georgian authorities for a permit to return. He made his first statement of this sort two months after he fled. In November 2009, Gudadze already complained of the attitude to him in Russia and stated he was brought to Russia by deceit, the "Kavkaz-Online" writes.

Let us remind you that, according to the journalist's mother Rosa Bichikashvili, they decided to leave Georgia because of threats addressed to her son for his journalistic activities. "At different times Levan ran three informational websites in Tbilisi, which were closed by the authorities one after the other. They called him by phone and kept sending letters with threats; therefore, we decided to leave the country," she said.