Flag bearer from Batumi, activist Temur Katamadze [Gaffar Yılmaz], has been denied refugee or humanitarian status by the Georgian court.
He will be deported from the country.
Temur Katamadze has been definitively denied refugee or humanitarian status by the court — a decision that would have provided the legal basis for him to remain in Georgia.
“The deportation procedure will now begin,” Mariam Gabroshvili told Batumelebi. She is a lawyer with the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association and represented Katamadze in court.
Katamadze, a Turkish citizen and descendant of Georgian muhajirs, had previously been denied both Georgian citizenship and residency. Known as the flag bearer at protests in Batumi, he later applied for refugee or humanitarian status in Georgia. Katamadze says he provided legal and translation services to members of Fethullah Gülen’s group in Turkey and fears unlawful imprisonment if returned there.
“The court also rejected our request to question witnesses who could have confirmed critical facts related to his case. Despite the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Migration Department not presenting any counter-evidence, the court still upheld the ministry’s decision,” Gabroshvili said.
The decision regarding protester Temur Katamadze was issued by Judge Nana Chichileishvili of the Tbilisi Court of Appeals.
Background
Temur Katamadze, a Turkish citizen and descendant of Georgian muhajirs, has been seeking Georgian citizenship for years without success. His arrest followed his visible participation in pro-European protests in Batumi, where he became known for appearing with the Georgian national flag.
Katamadze is currently held at the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ temporary detention facility for migrants and is facing deportation from Georgia.
His application for refugee or humanitarian status was also denied, despite his claims of facing unlawful imprisonment in Turkey due to his past work providing legal and translation services to members of the Fethullah Gülen movement. Following this denial and his looming deportation linked to his protest activity, Katamadze went on a 48-day hunger strike as an act of protest. He resumed the hunger strike on April 1, 2025, and ended it on April 5, in solidarity with striking miners in Chiatura.
Katamadze was first detained on January 11, 2025, during a demonstration, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs subsequently initiated proceedings for his deportation. He has no Georgian citizenship or residency status. His legal defense is being handled by the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association.
Katamadze has also alleged that during his arrest, he was physically assaulted by Batumi police chief Irakli Dgebuadze.
Related story: Activist Temur Katamadze ends hunger strike
