Journalist Dozhd was denied entry to Georgia
Mikhail Fishman, a journalist with the Russian opposition channel Dozhd, shared the details of his unsuccessful trip to Georgia on March 5. He was denied entry into the country and turned back from Tbilisi International Airport.
The journalist was traveling with his family; his daughter and relatives were waiting for him in Tbilisi. At the border, Fishman was given no reasons for refusal.
“I flew to Georgia with my two daughters – the middle one, 16 years old, was let in, the youngest was also let in and was told to stay by the window. Well, of course the youngest didn’t leave without me, she stayed with me. And then I was asked a few questions: how long will I be staying there, what is the purpose of my visit? And then they said, “Wait here.”
I waited about an hour, then a border guard came out and said that I was denied entry to Georgia and I can appeal this decision within 10 days, but he will not tell me the reasons. My daughter and I were said goodbye and put on the plane and the crew had our passports, I received them on arrival. I tried to find out what was going on, but they didn’t tell me,” Fishman told Radio Liberty’s Georgia service.
Fishman is the author of the weekly show On And On With Mikhail Fishman, which has aired since 2012. In his program, the moderator criticized the actions of the Russian authorities.
On February 2, Dozhd’s management announced that the channel was temporarily ceasing its work. The reason was the new Russian law, according to which journalists face up to 15 years in prison for spreading “false information about the armed forces of Russia” and in particular about the so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine.
Mikhail Fischman. Photo: Radio Freedom
“I have nothing else to connect it with, it’s obvious they didn’t let me in precisely because I’m a well-known journalist in Russia…
What can I say? This is an internal matter of Georgia. This is a testament to their attitude towards independent Russian journalism, which is now facing risks it has never faced before. Today, this is already the ultimate conclusion, and the Georgian state, in my opinion, has shown how it is related to that,” Fishman said.
The Georgian authorities do not comment on this case.
He was also denied entry to Georgia
Many Kremlin critics from Russia and other countries have been refused entry to Georgia in recent months without explanation.
For example, Russian opposition leader Dmitry Gudkov was denied entry to Georgia on January 31.
Previously, Russian opposition politician Lyubov Sobol and journalist Ilya Azar and Ukrainian journalist Dmitry Gordon were not allowed to enter Georgia.
In addition, several representatives of Russian opposition parties, who do not engage in public activities and whose names are unknown to the public, have been refused entry to Georgia without explanation.
Neither law enforcement agencies nor the government of Georgia have commented on the matter.
