63 Georgians Deported from European Union Countries

Sixty-three Georgian citizens, who were residing illegally in the European Union (EU), were returned to Georgia last week.

The process was coordinated by the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union FRONTEX.

The information was released by the Public Defender’s Office of Georgia on October 16, which added that no incident has taken place and no force or special means were used during the return operation.

The representatives of the Department of Prevention and Monitoring of the Public Defender's Office carried out monitoring of the joint return operation.

The Ombudsman’s Press Office reports that the Georgians, illegally living in various EU countries, were deported from German city of Hannover and Greek capital Athens.

“It should also be praised that in some cases the employees of the Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia gave the citizens of Georgia a chance to make a telephone call to Georgia. However, this was not a systematic solution to the problem,” the Ombudsman’s statement reads.

The Public Defender called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Internal Affairs Georgia to ensure communication with representatives of FRONTEX and the countries carrying out the return operation within the framework of the readmission agreement between the European Union and Georgia, in order to ensure telephone communication of the returning persons with their families before departing for Georgia.

By Thea Morrison

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