László Róbert Mézes, a Hungarian journalist who has lived in Georgia and covered anti-government protests, has been detained by the officers of the Interior Ministry’s Migration Department and may face expulsion.
His lawyer Tornike Janelidze confirmed the detention to several Georgian media outlets on the evening of August 5. While the lawyer is expected to provide more details after the in-person meeting with the detainee, the Interior Ministry told Civil.ge that he was in Georgia “without legal grounds” and had overstayed his permitted period of stay.
The ministry added that Mézes is being detained under Article 64-2-b of Georgia’s Law on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons. According to the provision, “aliens may be detained and placed in temporary holding facilities or temporary accommodation centres for their expulsion” if “there is a risk of absconding by the alien.”
The detention was first reported by Georgian lawyer Marika Arevadze, who said that Mézes has been staying legally in Georgia.
The journalist, who has earlier also contributed to Civil.ge, has actively covered the anti-government protests in Georgia. He has been a fierce critic of former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
More to follow…
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