Nikolai Belikov was encouraged by the ECHR decision

The European Court of Human Rights has banned Georgia from deporting refugee activist Nikolai Belikov to Russia until a court decision is made. According to the activist, "legal chaos" reigns in Georgia, but in his case, the ECHR's intervention offers hope.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," a notice of deportation from Georgia with a five-year entry ban has been served on Volgograd activist Nikolai Belikov, who participated in protests in Tbilisi. He must leave the country by January 10. On October 23, a Tbilisi court sentenced Nikolai Belikov, who was detained during protests on Rustaveli Avenue, to 14 days of administrative arrest. He was released on November 5. Belikov faces deportation from the country. Nikolai stated that after his arrest for participating in the protests, he would likely have to leave Georgia, and there was also the possibility of persecution in Russia.

Activist Nikolai Belikov gave a Caucasian Knot correspondent a copy of the ECHR decision (No. 33803/25, signed by duty judge Jolien Schukking), which he received two days ago.

"Taking into account the information provided by both parties, the European Court decided, in the interests of the parties and the proper conduct of the proceedings, in accordance with Rule 39 of the Rules of Court, to indicate to the Georgian government that the applicant should not be extradited to Russia pending the trial," the document reads.

Nikolay Belikov called the ECHR's positive response to his case "a joyful and encouraging development."

12:44 24.02.2026

The Main Thing About the Persecution of Protesters in Georgia

Against Georgian Opposition Leaders Since November 2025 A criminal investigation is underway for crimes against the state. The charges include sabotage, organizing protests after the 2024 elections, hostile activity against Georgia, and calls for the overthrow of the government.

"The situation of legal chaos we find ourselves in hasn't changed. The tools available to influence undesirables here are vast: planting drugs (Anastasia Zinovkina, Artem Gribul, ed. "Caucasian Knot"). They can impose endless fines. This case gives hope for a positive outcome in the future. But here, it's a law of the telephone, a punitive system, everything is done by phone, behind-the-scenes decisions. We can't relax," Nikolai Belikov said indignantly.

Belikov noted that there are at least a hundred political prisoners in Georgia. An OSCE commission is currently working in the country, which activated the OSCE "Moscow Mechanism" 1 in connection with the deteriorating human rights situation in Georgia. 15 expert monitoring groups are operating within the mission.

"The close attention of the OSCE has diminished their (the Georgian authorities - note "Caucasian Knot") ardor," Belikov said.

The journalist was unable to obtain a comment from Nikolai Belikov's lawyers.

As a reminder, Nikolai Belikov lived in Volgograd before leaving Russia. He was a member of the Yabloko party and an activist in the Volgograd branch of the "For Fair Elections" movement. In 2017, he organized an "opposition walk" and participated in a rally demanding that those who ordered Nemtsov's murder be found. The activist left Russia in 2017.