A Russian man has been sentenced to arrest and deportation from Georgia for participating in protests.

A Tbilisi court sentenced Russian citizen Nikolai Belikov, detained during protests on Rustaveli Avenue, to 14 days of administrative arrest. After serving his sentence, Belikov is to be deported from Georgia.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on October 23, a Tbilisi court sentenced Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadygov, detained the previous day, to 14 days of administrative arrest. The court found that Sadygov blocked traffic on Rustaveli Avenue during the protest. According to acquaintances, Sadygov planned to participate in the protest on October 22, but was detained almost immediately after leaving his home, before even reaching the metro.

On October 23, the Tbilisi City Court sentenced Russian citizen Nikolai Belikov to 14 days of administrative arrest followed by deportation for blocking a road during a protest near the Georgian parliament building.

According to the court's decision, Belikov will be deported to his country of citizenship and also banned from entering Georgia for two years. Belikov, who has lived in Georgia for several years, left Russia in 2016 and has been a frequent participant in protests in Tbilisi over the past year, according to Novosti-Gruzia.

Lawyer Mariam Chkheidze, who represented Belikov, stated that deportation to Russia poses great danger to the activist. According to her, Belikov left Russia "after repression, terror, and numerous acts of violence against him," after which he repeatedly protested Russian policies.

“The Ministry of Internal Affairs contacted the Migration Department because this article provided for deportation. The Migration Department used unheard-of explanations in the letter, claiming that mass human rights violations supposedly do not occur in Russia,” Tbilisi_life quotes the lawyer as saying.

Protesters in Georgia have been demanding new parliamentary elections and the release of political prisoners since November 28, 2024.. Security forces violently dispersed the protests, using tear gas and water cannons, and detained protesters. Over the course of the protests, more than a thousand people were subjected to administrative prosecution. The "Caucasian Knot" has compiled materials about the parliamentary elections and the protests that followed them on the page "Elections in Georgia-2024".