Georgia gives shelter to Iraqi and Syrian refugees
By Tea Mariamidze
Friday, April 17
The Head of Repatriation and Refugee Department of the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons, Irakli Kokaia, stated that Georgia will grant humanitarian or refugee status to 95% of asylum- seekers from Iraq and Syria, the people who are being tortured and persecuted by the barbaric savages known as the Islamic State (IS).
According to Kokaia, since 2012, over 2,114 refugees from Iraq have asked for asylum in Georgia, from which, 77 were granted refugee status and 217 humanitarian.
Currently 355 people from Iraq are registered as asylum seekers, and 333 of them were refused refugee status.
As for Syria, since 2012, only 167 people applied for shelter, five of them were given refugee status and 62 the humanitarian status.
Currently, 31 cases are being considered, 51 cases have been terminated as the applicants left the country, and 18 Syrian citizens have been denied to be sheltered.
Kokaia said that initially a lot of refugees were refused status because these people had an opportunity to move within their own countries, as only several regions were being controlled by extremists.
However, now the situation in Iraq and Syria has gotten much worse, and 95% of asylum seekers will be received and given the status of refugee.
“Some people are still refused refugee status because of the state security. If an individual fought in informal military units, or is suspected of torturing or harassing other people, he will not be permitted in the country,” Kokaia stressed.
