A Russian blogger got stuck at the border with Georgia after fleeing from charges of "political" terrorism - Moscow News

For almost a week, Russian blogger and activist Insa Lander has been in the border zone between Russia and Georgia after the authorities in Tbilisi denied her entry. Russian authorities accuse Lander of recruiting associates for a terrorist organization, which Lander herself denies, claiming that these accusations have a political undertone. She attempted to cross the border into Georgia and request political asylum on June 12 and 13, but was denied both times.

At the moment, Lander is in a duty-free shop between the checkpoints of two countries and told Moscow journalists that she does not have regular access to food and water, and human rights defenders are not allowed to visit her.“One day, the [Georgian border guards] assure me that they are ready to help, but the next day they declare that I am a ‘problem’ and must return to Russia, as there is no threat to me there.”“She shared in an interview.”

“Some border guards bring me coffee or tea, while others kick me out of the store when it’s raining.”“Duty-free shop employees are prohibited from helping me — they cannot give me water or provide access to Wi-Fi,” she added. Nevertheless, Lander notes that she is not afraid of the Georgian border guards and believes that the main threat comes from the Russian side.

Explanation from the ministry

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia explained that Lander was denied entry due to "obviously false and contradictory information" regarding the purpose of her visit. According to Georgian law, individuals under investigation for terrorism in other countries may be denied entry.

“There are over 1,000 Russian activists and journalists in Georgia.

Kuroptsev added that he was unable to meet with Lander in the neutral zone, but he was able to pass her some food. He also noted that the Free Russia Foundation, which supports the Russian diaspora in Georgia, is currently negotiating with several European countries to provide Lander with political asylum. The Lithuanian ambassador to Georgia, Andrius Kalindra, stated on Thursday that Vilnius is ready to grant Lander a visa if she is allowed to enter Georgia.

Backstory

Lander, who had lived in Moscow for a long time, was arrested in December 2021 in the Kabardino-Balkaria Republic on charges of terrorism and placed under house arrest.She believes that the case against her is an attempt to suppress her investigation into the alleged corruption in a charity organization led by a high-ranking official in Kabardino-Balkaria..

According to her lawyer Dmitry Zakhatov, the charges are based on her correspondence on the social network VKontakte, which dates back to 2014.

The opinion of human rights defenders

The oldest human rights organization in Russia, "Memorial," called the persecution of Lander illegal and politically motivated. Earlier, a number of Russian opposition figures, including journalists Mikhail Fishman and Ilya Azar, as well as politicians Lyubov Sobol and Dmitry Gudkov, faced refusals of entry into Georgia.