Greek patronized by Uzbek president's daughter to be expelled from Uzbekistan - Interior Ministry
TASHKENT. Dec 24 (Interfax) - Uzbekistan is planning to expel a citizen of Greece, who cooperated with projects run by the president's daughter, for violating the rules of stay in the country.
Yanis Galanos, a citizen of Greece detained for illegally staying in Uzbekistan, will be deported from the country, the Interior Ministry told Interfax on Tuesday.
"Galanos has been staying in Uzbekistan without the necessary documents, with an expired Greek passport, without an entry visa and without temporary registration," a ministry spokesperson said.
Some foreign media reported earlier that Galanos, who collaborated in projects run by the Uzbek president's daughter Gulnora Karimova, was unlawfully detained. Human rights activists said later that they had met with Galanos at a detention facility and denied reports on his unlawful detention and use of violence against him.
Galanos, born in 1982, was an Uzbek citizen before 2009. He filed an application on renouncing his Uzbek citizenship, and the president of Uzbekistan granted his application on August 10, 2009. Nevertheless, Galanos returned to Tashkent and was staying there without proper documents, with an expired Greek passport, and without a visa or temporary registration. It turned out that Karimova's patronage helped him ignore Uzbek law until recently, the Interior Ministry spokesperson said.
Based on a verbal note from the Italian Embassy, which represents the European Union's interests in Uzbekistan, a meeting between embassy consular workers and Galanos was arranged on December 16, he said.
"The embassy is currently working on issuing a document for Galanos to return home as soon as possible," he said.
