Pro-European activist Temur Katamadze deported from Georgia to Turkey amid legal dispute

Temur Katamadze, also known as Gaffar Yilmaz and nicknamed the “flagman from Batumi” has been deported from Georgia to Turkey following a court decision denying him refugee or humanitarian status. Katamadze, a 56-year-old descendant of Muhajirs and a participant in pro-European protests, had been fighting for Georgian citizenship for over a decade.

News of his deportation was first shared by his wife, Nino Kakulia, who wrote on social media: “They took him away at night… I couldn’t say goodbye.”

Katamadze was arrested in January 2025 during a protest in Batumi against halted EU integration. The investigation accused him of residing in Georgia illegally. He was subsequently transferred to a temporary placement center operated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, where he began a hunger strike.

Deputy Interior Minister Aleksandre Darakhvelidze confirmed at a briefing that the deportation was conducted “in full compliance with Georgian legislation, in accordance with a court decision that has entered into legal force.” He added that Katamadze did not take advantage of the opportunity to leave the country voluntarily, necessitating a forced expulsion.

However, human rights advocates have raised concerns about the speed and timing of the deportation. Tamta Mikeladze, director of the Social Justice Centre, which had been defending Katamadze’s case, said his legal deadline to leave the country voluntarily expired just hours before the deportation occurred.

“We were trying to protect his interests using temporary international legal mechanisms and were still in communication with the UN Human Rights Committee when the transfer took place so quickly,” said Mikeladze.