Mindiya Goradze's relatives go on hunger strike in Batumi

Mindiya Goradze was detained in Belarus after, on June 20, a court in Turkey ruled to release him from arrest and ordered him to leave the country within 24 hours. On June 22, Goradze's relatives staged a protest rally in Batumi at which they demanded that the authorities extradite him to Georgia.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in April 2019, the Batumi City Court sentenced Mindiya Goradze in absentia to 10 years in prison for "involvement in a criminal community"; and in July 2018, the same court sentenced him in absentia to 12 years in prison, finding him guilty under the articles of a person being in the position of "a thief-in-law" and extortion.

Relatives and acquaintances of Mindiya Goradze have staged a protest rally in Batumi after they learned that he was in Belarus. Four hunger-strikers demanded from Georgian authorities to extradite Goradze from Belarus to Georgia.

On June 20, a court in Turkey decided to release Goradze and gave him 24 hours to leave the country, since he had exceeded the term of his stay in Turkey, his advocate has explained. "He had only two flights left to leave Turkey within 24 hours – to Ukraine and Belarus. Goradze decided to fly to Belarus, but was also arrested there, as he is listed on the Interpol's red circular," Gela Nikolaishvili, his advocate, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 23, 2020 at 10:21 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.