The United Kingdom has announced the imposition of sanctions against four senior officials in Georgia, whom it considers responsible for human rights violations during the suppression of protests in the country. This information was released by the British government.
This is reported by Kyiv24
The list of sanctioned individuals includes Georgia’s Attorney General Giorgi Gabitashvili, head of the Special Investigations Service Karlo Kachitadze, First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Shalva Bedoidze, and Deputy Head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Special Unit Mirza Kezevadze.
Reasons for the Sanctions
These sanctions mark the first instance in which the United Kingdom has imposed restrictions against the current Attorney General of Georgia. The officials in question are accused of failing to investigate instances of violence against protesters, journalists, and opposition representatives who expressed their dissatisfaction with the actions of the ruling party, “Georgian Dream,” in 2024.
All four individuals are banned from entering the United Kingdom, and their assets within the country have been frozen.
“Our sanctions demonstrate that the United Kingdom will not tolerate such a blatant lack of accountability from those responsible, and we will continue to explore all available options until Georgia changes its current trajectory. We stand with the people of Georgia and their constitutional right to fundamental freedoms and a European path,” quotes the government from UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
Sanctions as a Response to Violence
It is worth noting that in December 2024, London had already imposed restrictions on five Georgian officials for violence against demonstrators, indicating an escalation of pressure from the United Kingdom on the Georgian government.