The United States has imposed sanctions on Georgian Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri under the Global Magnitsky Sanctions Program. Mirza Kezevadze, a deputy director of the MIA's Special Tasks Department, was also among those sanctioned.
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According to State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, the Ministry of Internal Affairs is responsible for the brutal and violent crackdown on the media, the opposition, and protesters, including during the 2024 demonstrations.
The United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) explained that this action was coordinated with the United Kingdom, which also sanctioned five individuals today for human rights violations in Georgia, including Vakhtang Gomelauri.
“In late November 2024, mass protests erupted across the country in response to Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s announcement that Georgia would suspend talks on accession to the European Union.
Security forces from the Ministry of Internal Affairs Special Task Department responded to protests with disproportionate violence to suppress dissent and discourage protesters.
The Special Task Department utilized tactics including mass beatings, verbal abuse, and threats of sexual violence.
Police violence by members of the Special Task Department occurred while individuals were in police custody, in detention, and at locations outside the protest area. The Special Task Department also deliberately targeted journalists as they reported on the violence and repeatedly abused detained protesters.
During protests prior to the May 2024 passage of the “foreign influence law,” the Special Task Department also violently targeted political opposition leaders, journalists, and youth activists who were peacefully expressing their views. The Special Task Department perpetrated violence, including through brutal beatings of peaceful protesters,” the OFAC statement said.
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control emphasized that the violence was overseen by Minister of Internal Affairs Vakhtang Gomelauri and Deputy Director of the Special Operations Division Mirza Kezevadze, along with other individuals sanctioned by OFAC on September 16, 2024, including Director Zeviad Kharazishvili (“Khareba”) and another deputy, Mileri Lagazauri.
The OFAC’s decision today imposes financial sanctions. The property and property interests of the designated individuals will be blocked in the United States. Financial institutions and other entities engaging in certain transactions or activities with the designated individuals may also face U.S. sanctions.
As for the Magnitsky sanctions, the Magnitsky Global Human Rights Accountability Act of 2016 grants the U.S. authority to impose sanctions on any foreign national responsible for gross human rights abuses or any representative of a foreign government engaged in significant corrupt practices.
