EU diplomat denied entry to Georgia

An EU diplomat has been denied entry to Georgia without explanation, with the Georgian government subsequently apologising for the incident.

Simon Vandenbroucke, listed on his LinkedIn profile as an Enlargement Programme Officer at the EU Delegation to Georgia, was denied entry into the country on Wednesday.

The EU Delegation’s press office confirmed the incident on Friday, telling OC Media that Vandenbroucke was a ‘duly accredited member of the EU Delegation’ and that the incident ‘contravenes the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and other applicable norms, which Georgia is bound to respect’.

The delegation said they had addressed the Georgian MFA on the matter and that ‘the Georgian authorities presented oral apologies for the regrettable incident and confirmed that the staff member is welcome to come back to his place of posting’.

OC Media has contacted Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs regarding the incident and will update the story if a comment is provided. It remains unclear on what grounds Vandenbroucke was denied entry to Georgia.

Normally, Georgian border officials use the justification ‘other cases envisaged by Georgian legislation’ as a tool to bar people, including Western activists and journalists critical of the governments in Tbilisi and Moscow, from entering the country.

In late March, Lithuanian women’s rights advocate Regina Jegorova-Askerova, who had lived in Georgia for 15 years, was denied entry into the country under the same justification.

Jegorova-Askerova reportedly has a family in Georgia, including two children, and also holds permanent residency.

At the end of April, Romanian stand up comedian Victor Patrascan was reportedly denied entry to Georgia, hours before he was scheduled to perform in Tbilisi.

Lithuanian women’s rights advocate, who has lived in Georgia for 15 years, denied entry

The reasons behind the decision remain unclear.

OC MediaMikheil Gvadzabia