Dear friends,

On 30 June I was detained, when I had arrived to Tbilisi Airport.
On 3rd of July I had a trial in a court, and in the everything after
accusation and paying the fine 2000 Lari (approximately - 1200
dollars) I was released. Sunday morning I arrived to Minsk. Safe and
happy, but with the previous conviction by criminal article.

But let's start from the beginning and let's follow the chronology of
the event:

I was invited on the international event "Democratic Citizenship and
Youth participation", which was organized by National Youth Council of
Georgia (NYCoG).

When I arrived to Tbilisi, on the passport control I was stopped, and
I got information that I have some problems, because I had stamp in the passport that I left and came back to the Adler (Russia). And it meant that I was in Abkhazia.

It was true. I was in Abkhazia, Gagra city in October
2008, because I had visited grave of my father, and it was only three days visit.

Small note: Belarus, have no visa regime with Georgia, and it was no any official information in news or in Internet, that it can be a problem.


For me also it was not a problem to travel to Gagra, because when I was in Abkhazia passed official border(Russian/Abkhazian) or I think so..

So, I was detained, I was stressed, shocked, and confused, I started to worried ..
in few hours, came a police guy and told me that I need to pay a fine 2000 Lari(approx:1200 usd). I said sorry, I have no such amount of money, and I
said that for me it's cheaper/better to be deported.
Than another police guy came, and I told him again that I have no money, he answered that I don't need money and asked, if anyone could come and pick me up, and I say yes, the representative from National Youth Council of Georgia. Than without explanation they had proposed me to follow them, and they had deliver me to the police station and waited when representative from National Youth Council will come, and then said, that I detained, by criminal article, which declaring "illegal entry to occupied territory of Georgia", and person can be punished, but imprisoning from 3 up to 5 years, or by fine 5000 usd, in palliative 3000 usd, in extra palliative 1200 usd.

For me it was shock, because they delivered me to Georgia side, and I really understand that I can be jailed, and only in the police station they told me that they were not able to deport me because it was no direct plane within 3 days and that they had no transit zone.


Parallel I got in touch with Belarus and my Belarusian friends got in
touch with different Human Rights Defenders from Belarus, and from them I got a contact of a contact person from Public Movement “Multinational Georgia” (PMMG) organization Human Right defending organization in Georgia, and they started to work on my case.

In police station they took my passport, and told me that you have a time till Friday till trial hearing to pay a fine 1200 usd, or you will be jailed from 3 to 5 years.
And I just imagined, that due to my participation in "Democratic Citizenship and Youth participation" training and internal circumstances, I will be jailed and released in 3 years, and my son will go to school and I will spend this time in Georgia prison. It was not a best 3 days in my life, I think I went gray and became five years older within this 3 days.
The most crucial were for me that I will became criminal, just for nothing...
And also it was a money question, I just clearly understood, that I am alone in Georgia, and I have no such amount of money, I have no Idea who can borrow me such amount of money fast, because it is huge amount money , and in this case I will be jailed from 3 to 5 years..
And it will be stressed and difficult to my family, to find the money within 3 days and to transfer in time..

I thought that I am a citizen of Belarus and my country might protect me.

Ellada had contact the Ministry of International Affairs and they told her that it is better to pay fine, because

2 MORE CITIZENS OF BELARUS ARE IN JAIL NOW, BY THE SAME CRIME ARTICLE.

And representative from MIA Belarus, on the question from Lada, what we gone do now, because it is huge amount of money.

Said: "Everything is simple, if you will not pay he will be jailed".

I was shocked doubled to get this information, because one girl from this two people, simply had travelled to Abkhazia on vocation, and she just wanted
to see Batumi city(Georgia side). So, to enter the Abkhazia she passed Russian - Abkhazian border freely, and when she passed Abkhazian - Georgian border she was arrested and jailed. She now still in prison and she got a fine 3000 usd.

Her parents are SHOCKED..

The Georgian side is not answering on any official requests of our
Ministry of International Affairs.

When Ellada called to Georgia embassy in Minsk, and asked if it is a problem, to travel to Georgia if you before had travelled to Abkhazia and you have a stamps in passport about that, Vice secretary of Georgian Embassy told them, that it is not a problem, that you are welcome in Georgia and you just need to buy a ticket to go to Georgia.

Public Movement “Multinational Georgia” (PMMG), helped me a lot, they provide me free lawyer, and also borrow me the amount of money to pay fine.

The Friday day was long day and stressed day and I became a CRIMINAL this day.

In the morning we went to police station, mid day prosecutor's office, and then trial hearing and that's the end of this case, but not the story.

SUMMARY WAS:
1. I need your help to collect money to give it back to Public
Movement “Multinational Georgia” (PMMG), which helped me and borrow me
the amount of money to pay fine (1200 usd).
2. I would like to help to girl who is in prison now, for more than
month, today, Through the Belarusian MIA, I will find out more about
what kind of help do parents/she need, and I will inform you and
request you.
3. And I think it is VERY IMPORTANT to organize Big Campaign, to
promote this case on international level, Because each day can more
people be arrested and jailed and fined by this crime article.



Dear friends,

1. We started informational campaign on National level to attract
attention of the civil society to this problem
http://udf.by/index.php?newsid=2208
http://kp.by/online/news/511466/
And today it will be published on second page of the News Paper KP, with the big Friday edition.

2. We planning to inform all agency which selling tickets to Georgia about this problem.

3. Our Ministry of International Affairs behaving very strange, because officially the person, who is responsible for this case ill, and during this week we can't get any reply from them.

4. We trying to get more information about girl, who is in prison now, through our Georgian friends.



As far as you remember I had became a victim of Abkhazian – Georgian conflict, and here is the continuation of the story:

On fifth of July 2009 I had back, and from Monday we started campaign on informing people.
Our Ministry of International Affairs, for two weeks kept silence and only on 18th of July, they announced, that the Belarusian girl, who was jailed since 25 may, was released.
We have now any information if it is true or not, because, our MIA
didn't say her name or other data.

on 22nd of July vice director of main consultative department of
MIA Belarus Aleksandr Lukashevish had interview and informed Belarusian citizens about special conditions for travelling into Abkhazia and south Ossetia and Georgia. And that according Georgian law, people can be punished according Georgian crime code if they travelling not incorrect way to Abkhazia and south Ossetia. And it was based on case of two Belarusians, who were arrested recently (one from two is me).


Links about this in Russian:
http://news.tut.by/143148.html - General information about
MIA Belarus position
http://news.tut.by/politics/143271.html - General information about
MIA Belarus position

http://www.vz.ru/politics/2009/7/24/310800.html - article about who set up Lukashenko.

http://svpressa.ru/issue/news.php?id=11737 - Belarusian president in favor of USA, accepting Abkhazia as a part of Georgia.

http://www.kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/157036 - MIA of Russian Federation finding strange position of Belarusian MIA about travelling in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

http://echo.msk.ru/news/607682-echo.html - Belarusian MIA deny the political roots of this situation, because this declaration was based on a case that two Belarusian were arrested, because of the visiting Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

http://news.yandex.ru/yandsearch?cl4url=www.belta.by%2Fru%2Fbelta_news%3Fid%3D399413 - Official Minsk made a call to travel to Abkhazia and South Ossetia according Georgian Law.

http://www.izvestia.ru/georgia1/article3131082/ - Saakashvili thanks
Lukashenko for courage.




If you have any questions, don't hesitate, mail me,

With the Best wishes,
Nikolai Kvantaliani

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