US imposes sanctions on those 'responsible for undermining democracy' in Georgia

The United States is imposing visa restrictions on those "responsible for or complicit in undermining democracy in Georgia," the State Department said.

The measure will affect about 20 people, including Georgian government ministers, members of parliament, law enforcement and security officials, and private individuals, the statement said. The agency did not provide the names of those included in the list.

"The United States strongly condemns the [ruling] Georgian Dream party's continued brutal and unjustified violence against Georgian citizens, including protesters, members of the media, human rights defenders, and opposition figures. Georgian Dream has turned its back on the Euro-Atlantic future for Georgia that the vast majority of the Georgian people desire and that is envisioned in the Georgian Constitution," the State Department said.

In early June, visa restrictions were imposed on members of the Georgian Dream party, members of parliament, and security officials responsible for the adoption of the law on foreign agents in May and the dispersal of protesters.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced sanctions against Georgia over the protests a week earlier. The protests in the country began in late November after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the suspension of negotiations on Georgia's accession to the European Union until 2028.

During the dispersal of protesters, special forces and law enforcement agencies of Georgia used, in particular, water cannons, tear gas grenades and pepper spray. More than 400 people were detained.

Kobakhidze compared what is happening in the country to the Maidan, noting that the attempt to implement a similar scenario failed.

Ukraine imposed sanctions against the Georgian leadership for dispersing protests, in particular Kobakhidze and the leader of the Georgian Dream, Bidzina Ivanishvili . The UK decided to suspend any support programs for Georgia and limit defense cooperation with the country's government.

The European Union is considering the possibility of imposing sanctions against Georgia. On December 16, this will be discussed at a meeting of the heads of the EU foreign ministries . Hungary, which holds the EU presidency in the second half of 2024, intends to veto the decision to impose sanctions against Georgia.

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