Georgia, Tbilisi, Dec. 6 / Trend N. Kirtskhalia /
A Turkish court will consider whether to extradite ARTI co-founder Guram Gogua to Georgia.
Earlier, leader of the Solidarity of Illegal Prisoners movement Eka Beselia sent a petition to the Turkish government, asking for Gogua's release and to grant him the status of a political refugee.
"We believe that Gogua's prosecution is based on political motives, and his extradition to Georgia is unacceptable," she said.
"Gogua's prosecution by the Georgian authorities is based on political reasons, and his extradition to Georgia is unacceptable, as Gogua was a founder of ARTI," she said. "A coalition of NGOs in Georgia have assigned to Gogua the status of an individual who is being persecuted based on political reasons."
She added that his extradition to Georgia would be unacceptable, as "he is an opponent of Saakashvili's government and there is no independent justice in Georgia."