The USA, Ukraine and Lithuania threaten Georgia with sanctions

The authorities of several countries have imposed or threatened the Georgian authorities to impose sanctions against them due to the dispersal of protesters against the results of the elections to the Parliament of Georgia.

These protests began in Georgia following the parliamentary elections held on October 28th, 2021. They were sparked by allegations of fraud during the electoral process, which led to the success of the ruling party, Georgian Dream. Opposition leaders in Georgia, led by President Salome Zourabichvil did not accept these results.

The United States strongly condemned the brutal and unjustified violence by the Georgian Dream Party against Georgian citizens, protesters, media representatives, and opposition figures. As stated by U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, the United States was now preparing to use various tools, including additional sanctions, at its disposal.

Hours after Blinken’s statement, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the imposition of sanctions against 19 individuals in Georgia, including the founder of Georgian Dream, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili.

On the afternoon of December 5, the Lithuanian Seimas also spoke out against the official authorities of Georgia.

The Seimas adopted a resolution calling on the European Union and its member states to impose personal sanctions on Georgian officials and political leaders directly or indirectly responsible for brutal repression against civilians in the country, as well as limit official relations with the government and parliament of Georgia.

These individuals have been added to the sanctions list of Ukraine: