According to Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Aleksandre Darakhvelidze, it is important to have a mechanism to expel from the country a foreigner who violates the rules related to assemblies and demonstrations or commits petty hooliganism.

Darakhvelidze spoke about the above at the plenary session of the Parliament, where he presented the relevant legislative package prepared by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

In this context, Darakhvelidze drew attention to the protest rallies ongoing on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi and, as he noted, a number of foreigners participated in the rallies who were “engaged in destructive actions.”

According to him, “the list of countries the citizens of which were involved in the rallies is long.”

“A number of court decisions have been issued for their violations of the law. Administrative detention was also used, although there was no mechanism for expulsion. Accordingly, this article will allow us to apply a measure - expulsion from the country and a ban on entry into the country for a certain period - to the people who enter the country with the aim of destruction. This will allow us to protect public order and security.

A certain number of these individuals entered the country before the protests. This fact may raise additional questions. These individuals actively called on certain individuals to engage in destructive actions. If the organizational part had been identified, criminal liability would have been imposed on them. The list of countries the citizens of which were involved in the protests is long. After the state began to detain specific individuals and apply administrative sanctions, this number has significantly decreased.

Unfortunately, the matter was complicated by the fact that despite the fact that 10-15 days of administrative detention were used, they had a one-year visa-free stay in Georgia. Accordingly, we could not start the expulsion procedure against these people.

There was a case when foreign citizens threw eggs at the Anchiskhati church, which caused great aggression in society.

From an administrative point of view, such violations as petty hooliganism, disobedience to the police, violation of the rules of assembly and demonstrations are important. These are the cases that the participants of the protest use against the police and the state. So, if we have effective mechanisms, we will hold destructive actions accountable. This will help prevent the involvement of such forces in the protests,” Darakhvelidze said at the plenary session of the Parliament.

A foreigner committing acts such as petty hooliganism, disobedience to the request of a law enforcement officer, as well as verbal insults to a state or political official, civil servant or public servant may result in his or her expulsion from Georgia and a ban on entry into Georgia for up to 3 years. This measure may also be applied to a foreigner if he or she violates the rules related to holding assemblies and demonstrations.

The planned amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses, which are part of the legislative package prepared by the Ministry of Internal Affairs regarding foreign citizens, introduce two new types of penalties: expulsion of a foreigner from Georgia and a ban on entry into Georgia. These penalties are applied in cases where a foreigner or a stateless person commits a number of administrative offenses.