Temur Katamadze

Apprehended

Tortured

Violence

Prisoner

T. Katamadze

Temur
Katamadze

Temur Katamadze, also known as Gaffar Yilmaz, is a leader and activist within the Turkish ethnic Georgian community who has been living in Georgia since 2012. He is known as the "Batumi Flag-Bearer" due to his active participation in Batumi protest rallies, where he consistently carried the Georgian flag. The 57-year-old Katamadze has been fighting for Georgian citizenship for years, but has repeatedly been denied.

«My form of struggle is a hunger strike, do not offer me to stop fighting for my homeland.»

In January 2025, Temur Katamadze was arrested twice. First, on January 11th, at a rally near the Batumi Police Department, he was detained administratively for disobeying a lawful police order. According to his statements, he was physically assaulted and verbally abused during the arrest, including by the head of the Batumi Police, Irakli Dgebuadze. An investigation into this incident is ongoing. Secondly, on January 16th, immediately after his release, he was re-arrested and transferred to the Samtredia temporary detention center, and later to the Migration Department's temporary accommodation center, where he remains to this day. Authorities cited Georgian immigration law as the reason for his detention, stating that Katamadze does not have the right to live in Georgia and must be deported.

«Since the day of my arrest, I have been subjected to constant psychological pressure.»

Fearing deportation, Katamadze requested refugee status, but the Ministry rejected his application without justification and ahead of the legally stipulated deadline. The court also denied Temur Katamadze's request for refugee status.

Temur Katamadze has been on hunger strike since the day of his arrest. He claims he has been subjected to constant psychological pressure since his detention. After a 48-day hunger strike, on March 5th, his health deteriorated, and he was transferred from the detention center to a medical facility, where he ended his hunger strike.

«For 13 years, I have been living here without leaving the country and continuing the fight against the 'Georgian Dream' and Ivanishvili's regime, which for 13 years has been deliberately denying Georgian citizenship to ethnic Georgians from Turkey, Iran, and Azerbaijan based on discriminatory policies.»

Several aspects of Temur Katamadze's case reveal violations of the law. Specifically:

The rejection of his refugee status application occurred earlier than the legally mandated deadline.
The courts failed to consider that Temur Katamadze has lived in Georgia for years, has a permanent residence, and is actively engaged in community activities.
Temur Katamadze's detention and the initiation of deportation procedures are likely linked to his active public engagement and public protests.
Temur Katamadze alleges that he was subjected to physical and psychological abuse. Currently, Temur Katamadze's case is being appealed in the appellate court.

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