Azerbaijani student denied entry to Georgia

Georgian border guards did not allow an Azerbaijani student journalist who is studying in Tbilisi into the country. They did not give him any specific reasons for the refusal.

Azerbaijani student journalist Javid Akhmedov was not allowed into Georgia, where he is studying at a university. At first, the reason for denying him entry to Georgia was the fines imposed on him, but later they said that “even if you pay the fine, you still won’t be allowed into the country.”

“With a temperature of 39 degrees and a sore throat, I arrived in Georgia and was immediately forced to go back. It turned out that the fine was not 5,000 lari, but 10,000. I said: “I’ll pay today, give me some time.” About half an hour later they came and said: “Even if you pay the fine, you still won’t be allowed into the country.” When I asked the reason, they didn’t give any explanation, they just kept repeating: “for other reasons.” All the police officers took turns looking at my American visa in my passport and made serious faces, as if it were a big offense,” Georgia Online quotes Akhmedov as saying.

In the comments on his Facebook page*, he explained that in the paper, which was given to him by Georgian border guards, "other reasons" were given as the basis for denying entry.

26-year-old Javid Akhmedov has been studying in Tbilisi, at GIPA, since September 2024, under a special program funded by the US government, which is intended for Armenian and Azerbaijani students, Tbilisi Life reports.

As "Caucasian Knot" wrote, earlier the Georgian authorities did not allow Belarusian actor Alexander Zhdanovich into the country, without explaining to him the reasons for denying entry. At the Kutaisi airport, he was given a document with the wording "for other reasons."

Georgian border guards did not allow Russian citizen Svetlana Zinovkina into the country, who was planning to meet with her daughter, who had been arrested in Tbilisi. Arbitrary refusals of entry to Georgia for foreigners violate the principle of equality enshrined in the Constitution, the non-governmental organization "Center for Social Justice" stated.

The increasing number of cases of refusals to allow Russian citizens into Georgia are connected with the authorities' desire to prevent Russian activists from entering the country, Georgian analyst David Avalishvili told the "Caucasian Knot" earlier.

For example, in the spring, Georgian border guards refused to allow the author of the TravelGeorgia project, Alexey Mukhranov, into the country without explaining the reasons. He had previously been denied entry in 2023. Archdeacon Andrey Kuraev and activist Maxim Ivantsov had previously faced refusals. In November 2023, border guards did not allow Russian stand-up comedian Garik Oganisyan into Georgia to perform. In early June, publicist Viktor Shenderovich* was not allowed into Georgia, where he had concerts planned. In August, the Georgian authorities denied entry to actor Vitaly Gogunsky.