The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) has reported the detention of Georgian opposition politician Zurab Japaridze in Turkey. Japaridze’s party, Girchi – More Freedom, is an ALDE member.
According to the organization, the politician was detained at an airport in Turkey and subsequently placed in a holding cell, with his passport and luggage confiscated. He is set to be returned to Georgia on October 15.
Zurab Japaridze was traveling through Turkey en route to Brussels, where he had been invited to attend the leaders’ summit of Renew Europe, the liberal political group in the European Parliament. The summit is scheduled to take place on October 15.
“We regret that he will not be able to participate [in the summit]. We deplore the ongoing pressure on the operations and freedom of movement of opposition parties that strive for a pro-European and democratic future for their country,” the ALDE statement reads.
Later, Zurab Japaridze also published a post on social media. According to him, he was scheduled to transfer to a flight with another airline while in Turkey.
“I was detained at the border. As they explained to me, I have been barred from entering Turkey since November 2025. They received some information about me from Georgia’s official structures. Tomorrow morning, I am being returned to Tbilisi.
Unfortunately, I missed the opportunity to hold important meetings. Otherwise, there is nothing to worry about,” Japaridze wrote.
He published a photograph of a document indicating that he has been banned from entering Turkey for a five-year period starting November 20, 2025.
As a reminder, Zurab Japaridze was released from custody on December 19, 2025, following seven months of imprisonment. He was sentenced for failing to appear before a parliamentary temporary commission of inquiry.
During his detention, in November 2025, Japaridze faced new charges of “sabotage” and “assisting a foreign state in hostile activities.” If convicted, he faces between 7 and 15 years of imprisonment.
The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia alleges that Japaridze and several other opposition figures transferred information detrimental to Georgia’s national interests to representatives of foreign states. The politician denies these allegations.
It is also worth noting that in April 2026, the Georgian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that Georgian authorities had transmitted information regarding Zurab Japaridze, Elene Khoshtaria, and Giorgi Vashadze to Turkey via Interpol channels.
Case materials indicate that Tbilisi contacted the Interpol bureau in Ankara on May 7, 2025. In its response, the Turkish side stated that none of the three specified politicians were in the country, and that the notice from the Georgian side had been forwarded to the relevant agencies to place them on the entry ban list.
At the time, Japaridze stated that he did not know whether he had been placed on this list. However, he did not rule out that issues could arise during foreign travel and that he might be detained.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty also reported on intensified cooperation between the law enforcement agencies of Georgia and Turkey.