Extradition Battle for Mihai Stoian: Romanian Yoga Teacher Arrested in Georgia and Wanted by France
On December 20 and 26, 2024, the City Court of Tbilisi held critical hearings to determine whether Mihai Stoian, a Romanian yoga teacher, and his wife Adina, who were arrested at the Turkish-Georgian border in August 2024, would be extradited to France. Their arrests were based on an Interpol warrant issued at France’s request.
Reporting from Georgia Amidst Political Tensions
In mid-December 2024, I was in Tbilisi on assignment for The European Times to cover the volatile political climate, including widespread demonstrations following disputed parliamentary elections and the controversial appointment of a pro-Kremlin president. During my stay, I published two articles titled “PLACEHOLDERed4ec54ce417995f” and “PLACEHOLDERc11b412f0e7ba87e.”
Alongside my political reporting, I seized the opportunity to delve into the Stoian extradition case, meeting with lawyers, state and non-state actors, and even a member of the Stoian family who was present in Tbilisi. These discussions provided insights and unpublished details regarding the couple’s situation.
A Third Hearing Ordered Over Language Dispute
After the second hearing, held after my departure from Georgia, the court decided that a third session was necessary to address a key issue: the translation of court proceedings and documents. Mihai Stoian and his wife strongly requested Romanian-language translations instead of English, which had been used by judicial authorities so far.
Although the court argued that Mihai and Adina were proficient in English due to their international activities, the couple countered that legal terminology in English was challenging for them to fully grasp. They argued that the double translation process—first from Georgian to English by interpreters and then into Romanian by themselves—was prone to inaccuracies, risking misunderstandings with potentially severe consequences. Their legal team warned that this language barrier might lead to a miscarriage of justice.
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The Arrest and Background of Mihai Stoian
The 2023 French Police Raid
On November 28, 2023, a massive police operation conducted by SWAT teams in France targeted locations associated with the Romanian MISA yoga movement (Movement for Spiritual Integration into the Absolute). Over 175 officers armed with semi-automatic rifles stormed eight properties in Paris, Nice, and other areas at dawn. These properties, primarily used as spaces for yoga and meditation retreats, were suspected of being fronts for illegal activities, including human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and forcible confinement.
During the raids, around 50 yoga practitioners—ranging from IT specialists and engineers to medical doctors and artists—were detained for interrogation. Many were held in custody for days. Despite their peaceful activities, their spaces were turned upside down, and their lives disrupted.
One year later, I explored the aftermath of these events in The European Times article “Police Raids on Romanian Yoga Centers in France: One Year Later.” Among those affected was Gregorian Bivolaru, the founder of MISA, who was arrested and placed in pretrial detention.
Although Mihai and Adina Stoian were not present in France during the raids, nor had they conducted any yoga-related activities there, the arrest warrant issued against them in Georgia claimed similar charges of illegal practices. French media outlets painted them as criminals, despite a lack of evidence. This raises the question: Who exactly is Mihai Stoian?
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Who Is Mihai Stoian?
Early Life and Family Background
Mihai Stoian was born on January 27, 1969, in Bucharest, Romania, during the Communist regime of Nicolae Ceaușescu. His mother, G. Stoian, worked as an accountant, while his father, Zaharia Stoian, was a renowned mathematics professor who graduated from the Faculty of Mathematics in 1962 and later earned a doctoral degree. Zaharia also had international teaching experience, working in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) during the 1970s, and eventually retired after a 47-year academic career.
In the 1990s, after Ceaușescu’s regime collapsed, the Stoian family embraced yoga as part of their personal development journey, joining the MISA yoga school. Zaharia even became a H
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