MIA: Russian citizen Denis Kulanin given seven days to leave Georgia voluntarily

Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs has issued a statement regarding the expulsion proceedings against Russian citizen Denis Kulanin.

According to the ministry, the Migration Department had been conducting expulsion proceedings against Kulanin under Article 51, Paragraph 1, Subparagraph “z” of Georgia’s Law on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons.

In accordance with Article 52, Paragraph 2 of the law, the Migration Department petitioned the Tbilisi City Court to order Kulanin’s expulsion from Georgia.

“On September 4 of this year, the Administrative Cases Panel of the Tbilisi City Court issued an order for the expulsion of Denis Kulanin from Georgia. In accordance with Article 54, Paragraph 1 of the aforementioned law, he was given a seven-day period to voluntarily leave the territory of Georgia for a destination of his choice,” the Interior Ministry said.

The ministry added that if Kulanin fails to leave the country voluntarily within the specified period, the expulsion order will be enforced involuntarily in accordance with Article 57, Paragraph 1 of the law.

The court order also imposed a five-year ban on Kulanin entering Georgia, according to the ministry.

Kulanin was previously detained for damaging a police vehicle during a protest last year. He was among the individuals pardoned by Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili on August 28 in connection with the Mariamoba holiday.