Human Rights Center Protests Expel of Giorgi Oniani from Georgia

Human Rights Center calls on the Minister of Internal Affairs to ensure safe and timely return of the citizen of Georgia Giorgi Oniani from Azerbaijan to Georgia. 

On May 5, at 11:30 am Human Rights Center will hold press-conference about expel of Giorgi Oniani from Georgia in the Reporter’s Press-Club.

According to Giorgi Oniani and his family members, on March 25, 2015, at about 21:30 pm Giorgi Oniani arrived in Georgia. MIA officers met him in the Tbilisi International Airport and took him to the MIA office where they declared he had to leave Georgia because he was in the informal data base “Prime Crime”, which contains unofficial information about so called “criminals in law”.

Giorgi Oniani has never been convicted as criminal-in-law or for membership of criminal world; he never lead similar activities. Giorgi Oniani claims he is not criminal-in-law and declared the same to MIA officers too.

MIA officers told Giorgi Oniani they had nothing against him but they avoid criticism from the opposition political party United National Movement, whose members blame the government in protecting criminals. MIA officers even promised Giorgi Oniani to pay his flat rent in other country.

As his family members clarified, MIA officers took Giorgi Oniani to the Georgian-Azerbaijan border and sent him to Baku by mini-bus.

Georgian citizen Giorgi Oniani had to leave Georgian territory against his will. According to his clarification he is still in Baku, Azerbaijan against his will, where he cannot pay rent for a flat and lives in the street.

On April 22, Human Rights Center petitioned to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia and requested information about the concrete official of the MIA, who made decision to allegedly expel Giorgi Oniani from Georgia; and what were grounds of his decision. The Center has not received a reply from MIA yet.

Human Rights Center calls on the Minister of Internal Affairs to timely and effectively address the case of Giorgi Oniani and ensure his timely and safe return to Georgia.

Human Rights Center