Both Washington and London imposed sanctions on Thursday against Georgia’s interior minister and other officials for their roles in a violent crackdown on protesters opposing the government’s decision to delay EU membership talks until 2028.
Police in Tbilisi used water cannons, tear gas, and rubber bullets to suppress protests that have now entered their third week. Some demonstrators and journalists covering the unrest have reportedly been assaulted, often by masked gangs.
The political crisis in Georgia has deepened since the pro-Russian Georgian Dream party claimed victory in the October parliamentary elections, which opposition groups have alleged were rigged.
The U.K. Foreign Office was the first to announce sanctions, targeting high-ranking officials for what it called “serious human rights violations.” Foreign Secretary David Lammy condemned the violence as “an egregious attack on democracy” and stated that the U.K. stands with the Georgian people.
Following the U.K., the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued sanctions as part of a “coordinated” response.Â
Acting Under Secretary Bradley T. Smith accused Georgian officials of engaging in a “severe and vicious crackdown” against protesters and journalists. The U.S. State Department also imposed visa restrictions on individuals linked to the violence and electoral coercion, including law enforcement and municipal officials.
Sanctions included travel bans and asset freezes on Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri and other senior officials. The U.K. also imposed similar measures on Deputy Minister Aleksandre Darakhvelidze and three police officials, two of whom had already been sanctioned by the U.S. in September.
The U.S. and U.K. sanctions follow action taken by both governments against the Georgian administration last week when London reduced support for the Georgian government and limited defense cooperation, while the U.S. imposed visa restrictions on approximately 20 individuals accused of undermining democracy.
While the ruling party, Georgian Dream, did not respond to the news of the sanctions, the country’s Prime Minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, signed a decree appointing Vakhtang Gomelauri as Deputy Prime Minister.
