Political Repression in Legal Garb: Georgia Deports “Batumi Flag-Bearer” Temur Katamadze

Temur Katamadze

On June 10, 2025, Georgian authorities forcibly expelled Temur Katamadze—better known as the “Batumi flag-bearer”—to Turkey, citing immigration law violations despite his more than a decade of residency, multiple court reviews, and pending appeals to international human-rights bodies.

From muhajir Descendant to Protest Symbol

Born in Istanbul in 1968, Temur Katamadze (Gafar Yılmaz) is a fourth-generation muhajir, descending from Muslim Georgians relocated from Adjara to the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th century. A passionate advocate for Georgian language, history, and culture, he first traveled to Georgia in 1991 and settled in Batumi in 2012. His persistent efforts to secure refugee status and citizenship were rebuffed three times, and his applications for refugee status were finally denied by the Tbilisi Court of Appeals on April 29, 2025.

Katamadze earned his “flag-bearer” reputation during nationwide protests against the foreign-agents law and the suspension of EU integration. Always clad in traditional Georgian attire and bearing the national flag, he became a fixture at Batumi demonstrations—and a thorn in the side of the ruling Georgian Dream coalition.

Legal Proceedings & Deportation Timeline

January 11, 2025: Katamadze is arrested at a rally outside Batumi police headquarters, accused of disobeying police orders. He receives five days of administrative detention.

January 17, 2025: Upon completing his sentence, he is immediately re-arrested for allegedly violating immigration laws. The Ministry of Internal Affairs asserts he has no legal right to reside in Georgia and places him in a temporary detention center.

April 29, 2025: The Tbilisi Court of Appeals upholds the Migration Department’s refusal to grant refugee status.

April 30, 2025: The Ministry’s Migration Department issues a deportation order, giving Katamadze until June 10 to leave voluntarily.

June 10, 2025: With the voluntary-departure deadline unmet, Georgian forces transfer Katamadze to Ardahan—bypassing the Sarpi border crossing to forestall planned solidarity protests—and then onward toward Ordu, where Turkish authorities have opened a legal case against him.

Official Rationale: “Full Compliance with Georgian Law”

At a June 10 briefing, Deputy Interior Minister Aleksandre Darakhvelidze framed the deportation as a strictly legal act. “His case was reviewed by eight different court instances, all of which upheld the Migration Department’s position,” he declared, emphasizing that the deportation rested on a binding court ruling. Darakhvelidze noted that an interim-measures request to the European Court of Human Rights had been denied, and since Katamadze did not leave voluntarily, “his deportation was carried out forcibly in accordance with the requirements of Georgian legislation.”

Human-Rights Critique: “Ruthlessness” of the System

Not everyone agrees that the process was fair or transparent. Tamta Mikeladze, head of the Social Justice Centre, denounced the authorities’ actions as emblematic of institutional cruelty. “They didn’t grant Temur Katamadze a single extra day to fully exhaust international legal mechanisms,” she said. “Ruthlessness—that, to me, is the word that best describes this system.” Mikeladze stressed that even after the ECHR denial, Katamadze’s defense had appealed to the UN Human Rights Committee, a step the Georgian authorities effectively nullified by expelling him without warning his family or legal team.

Prison Letter: Allegations of Police Brutality

From his detention cell, Katamadze penned a letter to the independent outlet Batumelebi, calling himself a political prisoner. He alleged that Batumi police chief Irakli Dgebuadze and ten officers physically assaulted him during his January arrest. “For 13 years of living in Georgia, I have repeatedly suffered under the Ivanishvili regime,” Katamadze wrote. “The initial unlawful detention and second arrest aimed at deporting me were politically motivated acts ordered by Georgian Dream—meant to punish me for my fight for citizenship and oppositional views.”

Katamadze now faces the risk of prosecution in Turkey for his alleged support of the Fethullah Gülen movement—charges that could carry significant prison time. His forced expulsion raises broader concerns about Georgia’s willingness to use immigration law as a tool to suppress dissent. Critics argue that this case sets a chilling precedent for activists and cultural advocates, especially those caught in the crossfire between Georgia’s domestic politics and its democratic-reform agenda.

Temur Katamadze’s deportation illustrates a growing tension in Georgia: the veneer of rule-of-law procedures masking what opponents call politically motivated repression. As Georgia seeks closer ties with Europe, observers will be watching whether future legal actions against activists follow this pattern—or whether judicial independence can withstand the pressures of high-stakes politics.