Russian human rights defender says she was denied entry to Georgia

Anna Rivina, the founder of the Russian crisis center Насилию.нет, says she had been denied entry to Tbilisi. 

Speaking with the Russian media Kholod, Rivina said she had flown from Yerevan to Tbilisi, where she has been living for the last few months, and waited for about three hours for the decision of the Georgian  border guards. However, in the end, she was not allowed to enter Georgia.

Rivina saidearlier she also had to wait at the border, but in all cases she was allowed to enter the country. 

The crisis center founded by Rivina helps women victims of violence. In 2020, the Ministry of Justice of Russia included the center in the list of non-profit organizations that perform the function of “foreign spies”. 

On February 10, 2023, Rivina herself was declared a “foreign spy” who, according to the Ministry of Justice of Russia, “spreads negative information about the activities of state bodies”, in particular, the Ministry of Defence.

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, tens of thousands of Russian citizens took refuge in Georgia.