Georgian opposition politician Zurab Japaridze has been detained at an airport in Turkey while travelling to Brussels. The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) reported that Japaridze was held in a cell and had his passport and luggage confiscated. The organisation added that he would be returned to Georgia on Thursday.
The document shared by Japaridze on Facebook states that Turkey has imposed a five-year entry ban on him, from 20 November 2025 to 20 November 2030, under code G-87. It also states that the ban could be extended to 10 years.
Japaridze leads Girchi — More Freedom, a member party of ALDE. He was travelling to Brussels via Turkey to attend the Renew Europe Leaders’ Summit, scheduled for Thursday.Renew Europe is a liberal political group in the EU Parliament.
In a statement published on X, ALDE expressed concern over Japaridze’s detention, saying it regretted that he would be unable to attend the summit.
We're concerned to learn that @Zuraja, leader of ALDE member party @GIRCHIMF has been detained at the airport in Turkey, held in a cell with his passport and luggage confiscated and will be sent back to Georgia tomorrow. He was transiting en route to Brussels where he was invited and was due to participate in the @RenewEurope Leaders’ Summit. We regret that he will not be able to participate and lament that such pressures continue to be placed on the work and movements of opposition parties who seek a pro-European and democratic future for their country.
— ALDE Party (@ALDEParty) October 14, 2026
‘We lament that such pressures continue to be placed on the work and movements of opposition parties who seek a pro-European and democratic future for their country’, the organisation wrote.
Japaridze also posted about the incident on Facebook, saying he had been changing flights in Turkey when he was detained at the airport.
‘As they explain it to me, I have been banned from entering Turkey since November 2025. They have apparently received some information about me from official Georgian institutions’, Japaridze wrote.
He added that he would be returned to Tbilisi the following morning and had consequently lost the opportunity to attend important meetings. He said there was nothing else to worry about.
OC MediaMikheil Gvadzabia
Georgia’s Interior Ministry told OC Media that it had not requested that Japaridze be banned from entering any country.
In 2025, Japaridze served a seven-month sentence for failing to appear before a temporary parliamentary investigative commission. He was released in December of that year.
Whilst in prison, in November 2025, the authorities brought additional charges against him, including sabotage and assisting a foreign country in hostile activities.
Japaridze is among a number of opposition politicians in Georgia, who have been accused of treason.
As he is still facing these charges, Japardize requires the Prosecutor General’s Office’s permission to leave Georgia. On 20 September, he wrote on Facebook that he had been granted permission to travel to Vilnius.