The United Kingdom has imposed sanctions on Georgian Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri, his deputy Aleksandre Darakhvelidze, the Director of the Tbilisi Police Department Sulkhan Tamazashvili, the Head of the Special Tasks Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Zviad Kharazishvili (Khareba), and his deputy Mileri Lagazauri for human rights violations. The sanctions include a travel ban to the United Kingdom and an asset freeze.
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"The UK has sanctioned five senior individuals responsible for violent attacks against journalists and peaceful protestors in Georgia, in coordinated action with the United States," the UK government said in a statement.
The statement added that the Georgian authorities had launched a systematic crackdown on demonstrators, civil society, media, and opposition figures after the public resisted the Georgian Dream’s decision to block the country’s path to a European future.
"The decision undermines a core component of Georgia’s constitution and is widely viewed as the latest step by the Georgian Dream which makes Georgia more vulnerable to the Kremlin," the statement said.
The sanctions follow a decision by the UK last week to immediately suspend UK support for Georgian government programs and limit its relationship with the Georgian Dream.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the shocking violence against demonstrators, opposition leaders, and journalists was a terrible attack on democracy and the right of the Georgian people to exercise their fundamental freedoms.
"Our action today shows that the UK stands with the people of Georgia and will consider all options to ensure those responsible are held to account," the minister said.
Earlier, the UK suspended its annual strategic Wardrop Dialogue with Georgia in response to increased anti-Western rhetoric and "the adoption of Kremlin-inspired laws which restrict media freedoms and limit equality for the Georgian people."
The UK government noted that riot police have used water cannons, tear gas, and rubber bullets to disperse peaceful protesters since the October parliamentary elections, with reports of individuals being targeted and beaten confirmed by the Georgian Ombudsman. The government further stated that the repression and human rights abuses have been condemned by UN experts, while the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), of which Georgia is a member, has described such suppression of freedom of assembly as a "serious violation."
