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Illustrative photo of medicines.

Israeli arrested in Georgia with illegal medicine

The Israeli, who was arrested over two weeks ago, has a prescription for the medication. However, it is on a 'blacklist' of drugs in Georgia, making it illegal to enter the country with the medicine. Israel is making diplomatic maneuvers in order to persuade the Georgian authorities to release him.

An Israeli citizen was arrested in Georgia over two weeks ago and faces indictment for possessing medication that is banned in the Caucasian nation.

 

 

The Israeli, who is in his 60s, has a prescription for the medicine but was jailed due to its status in Georgia as a blacklisted drug. Georgia considers the drug a narcotic, meaning it is strictly prohibited to bring it into the country.

 

Illustrative photo of prescription medication. (Photo: Shutterstock)
Illustrative photo of prescription medication. (Photo: Shutterstock)

 

The family's attempts to explain to the Georgian authorities that the man uses the medicine strictly for health reasons have so far come to nothing.

 

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Israeli ambassador in Tbilisi, the Georgian capital, have been making behind-the-scenes attempts to get the Israeli citizen released.

 

The Georgian consul was also invited to an urgent discussion at the Israeli Foreign Ministry. The consul was warned that if the affair went public it would likely harm Israeli tourism to Georgia.

 

The Israeli ambassador also approached the deputy foreign minister in Georgia as well as officials at the Georgian Ministry of Justice in order to try and persuade them to release the Israeli citizen.

 

At the same time, the Israeli hired a local lawyer who has already submitted a request for the man to be released unconditionally and without having to pay a fine.

 

Even though the family translated all the arrestee's medical documents, including the relevant prescription, and had them verified by a notary, the Georgians nonetheless announced that they were considering indicting him for bringing a banned substance into the country.

 

The Israeli consul in Georgia, Adel Hino, requested permission to visit the arrestee in jail and was notified that the request must be submitted to the state attorney.

 

Following the incident, which is not the first of its kind involving Israeli tourists in Georgia, the Israeli Foreign Ministry decided to take the unusual step of publishing a warning on its website, stating: "Given the strict prohibition under Georgian law against bringing medicines of the kind listed into the country, we recommend not taking any of the drugs stated.

 

"In the event that you do enter with these medicines, it is recommended to travel having verified in advance the restrictions discussed."

 


פרסום ראשון: 11.20.15, 10:40
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