diff --git a/rhodecode/api/views/repo_api.py b/rhodecode/api/views/repo_api.py
--- a/rhodecode/api/views/repo_api.py
+++ b/rhodecode/api/views/repo_api.py
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ from rhodecode.lib import audit_logger, 
 from rhodecode.lib import repo_maintenance
 from rhodecode.lib.auth import HasPermissionAnyApi, HasUserGroupPermissionAnyApi
 from rhodecode.lib.celerylib.utils import get_task_id
-from rhodecode.lib.utils2 import str2bool, time_to_datetime, safe_str, safe_int
+from rhodecode.lib.utils2 import str2bool, time_to_datetime, safe_str, safe_int, safe_unicode
 from rhodecode.lib.ext_json import json
 from rhodecode.lib.exceptions import StatusChangeOnClosedPullRequestError
 from rhodecode.lib.vcs import RepositoryError
@@ -573,6 +573,7 @@ def get_repo_file(request, apiuser, repo
     elif details == 'full':
         extended_info = content = True
 
+    file_path = safe_unicode(file_path)
     try:
         # check if repo is not empty by any chance, skip quicker if it is.
         _scm = repo.scm_instance()
@@ -583,12 +584,12 @@ def get_repo_file(request, apiuser, repo
             repo, commit_id, file_path, extended_info=extended_info,
             content=content, max_file_bytes=max_file_bytes, cache=cache)
     except NodeDoesNotExistError:
-        raise JSONRPCError('There is no file in repo: `{}` at path `{}` for commit: `{}`'.format(
+        raise JSONRPCError(u'There is no file in repo: `{}` at path `{}` for commit: `{}`'.format(
             repo.repo_name, file_path, commit_id))
     except Exception:
-        log.exception("Exception occurred while trying to get repo %s file",
+        log.exception(u"Exception occurred while trying to get repo %s file",
                       repo.repo_name)
-        raise JSONRPCError('failed to get repo: `{}` file at path {}'.format(
+        raise JSONRPCError(u'failed to get repo: `{}` file at path {}'.format(
             repo.repo_name, file_path))
 
     return node