The present document studies cases of the journalists residing in Georgia who were pursued from Azerbaijan for being critical of the Aliyev government as well as the cases of representatives of nonprofit organizations and opposition political parties relating to refusal of granting the refugee status and residence permits, facts of their alleged harassment and persecution on the territory of Georgia.

This year, Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center (EMC) studied six cases (involving 8 persons in total) of journalists, activists and politicians living in Georgia who were subjected to persecution in the Republic of Azerbaijan.The case analyses show that since the year of 2016 the government of Georgia, based on the abstract reason of protection of national security has been refusing to grant refugee statuses or residence permits to the persons pursued from Azerbaijan for being actively involved in the journalism and activism. Additionally, there are cases of their harassment, persecution in the territory of Georgia and rejection to enter the Country. The report particularly studies case of Afgan Mukhtarli, a journalist who was forcibly disappeared on May 29, 2017, and arrested by the Azerbaijani law enforcement agencies. The trends observed in these cases indicates on political loyalty of the government of Georgia towards the government of Azerbaijan and also, raise doubts as to the informal illegal cooperation between law enforcement agencies of the two countries.

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