Georgia’s fifth president, Salome Zurabishvili, strongly criticized the handling of activist Temur Katamadze’s departure from the country, calling it a departure from constitutional norms and legal frameworks. Her remarks were shared via social media.
“A country that abducts its own citizen in another state, bypasses all legal procedures such as extradition, and expels Temur Katamadze at night, in secret, without informing his defenders… This country has entirely distanced itself from the Constitution and the state’s legal foundations. It has entered a different category altogether. What we should now call it — that remains an open question,” Zurabishvili wrote.
Temur Katamadze, a political activist, was initially detained in Batumi under administrative procedures. After his release, he was arrested again on the grounds of lacking legal residency. According to his wife, he was subsequently transferred to Turkey.
Related story: Darakhvelidze on Katamadze: He refused voluntary departure, expulsion followed Georgian law
