Britain has become the first country to sanction Georgia’s state prosecutor following a series of crackdowns on demonstrators and opposition figures since last year, the Foreign Office said.
General prosecutor Giorgi Gabitashvili and three other high-ranking officials have been made subject to asset freezes and travel bans for their role in “allowing serious human rights violations”, the department said.
Last year a wave of protests took place in Tbilisi triggered by the actions of Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream, including its decision to suspend accession talks with the European Union.
The Foreign Office said it was targeting officials who had failed to properly investigate those responsible for “serious violence” after a clampdown in which demonstrators were attacked and “arbitrarily” detained.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the country’s authorities were “flying in the face” of Georgian Dream’s claim to offer a “democratic future” for the country’s citizens.
“Our sanctions show the UK will not accept such a blatant lack of accountability by those in charge, and will continue to consider all options available to us until Georgia reverses its current trajectory,” he said.
“We stand with the people of Georgia and their constitutional right to fundamental freedoms and to pursue a European path.”
The officials sanctioned today are:
– General prosecutor Giorgi Gabitashvili– Head of Georgia’s special investigatory services Karlo Katsitadze– First deputy minister of internal affairs Shalva Bedoidze– Deputy chief of Georgia’s special task department Mirza Kezevadze
All four are excluded from the UK and its economy through travel bans and asset freezes.
Georgian Dream has denied links to the Kremlin but sought to introduce what many see as Russian-style laws targeting civil society groups which critics say will be used to silence dissent.
The Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations 2020 give Britain powers to prevent those involved in serious human rights violations and abuses from entering the country, and to freeze their UK assets.
The UK previously paused its annual flagship strategic dialogue, the ‘Wardrop Dialogue’, suspended governmental programme support and restricted engagement with Georgian Dream.
The British Government says this was in response to an increase in anti-western rhetoric and democratic backsliding.
