Temur Katamadze, activist detained during Batumi protests, has been transferred to Vivamedi clinic on the 48th day of his hunger strike, the Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA) reported.

According to the GYLA, Katamadze was last examined on February 15. He agreed to be taken to the clinic after his health state deteriorated.

“As Katamadze said, during higher strike he lost 20 kilograms, feels weak and unable to move freely. He agreed to be taken to a clinic for medical examinations,” the GYLA said.

On March 18, the Tbilisi City Court will discuss assigning a refugee or humanitarian status to Temur Katamadze. He complains against the decision of the Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) which rejected granting him the refugee or humanitarian status.

Temur Katamadze was initially detained by the police in Batumi on administrative charges, but after his release from prison, he was arrested again. At the second arrest, the police accused him of not having the right to live in Georgia.

Katamadze, a descendant of Georgian Muslims, who were deported from the Russian Empire to the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century, said in a letter to Batumelebi media outlet that he had lived in Georgia since 2012 but, despite multiple attempts, he had been denied Georgian citizenship.