On September 16, the U.S. Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on four individuals, including high-level law enforcement officials Zviad Kharatishvili and Mileri Lagazauri, as well as two radical right-wing figures associated with the violent Alt-info movement. The U.S. believes these individuals were involved in serious human rights abuses and violent crackdowns on protesters.
In addition, the U.S. State Department has imposed visa restrictions on over 60 Georgian individuals and their family members who have undermined democracy in Georgia. These individuals include government and municipal figures, business leaders involved in corrupt practices, and members of law enforcement and parliament who have restricted fundamental freedoms and promoted violence and extremism.
In response to these sanctions, the ruling party’s parliamentary majority leader Mamuka Mdinaradze has claimed that they are driven by “informal influences” and do not harm the targeted individuals, but instead damage the U.S.’s reputation in Georgia. He also accused the U.S. of trying to interfere in the upcoming Georgian elections.
Meanwhile, Michael Roth, the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the German Bundestag, is currently visiting Georgia and has met with various civil society organizations, activists, and opposition representatives. However, officials from the ruling Georgian Dream party have refused to meet with him, citing his previous comments which they believe insulted the Georgian people, the Orthodox Church, and the country’s democracy.
In a special briefing on September 16, President Salome Zurabishvili called on two opposition forces, Lelo’s “Strong Georgia” and ex-Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia’s “For Georgia,” to join forces for the upcoming parliamentary elections. She invited both parties to the Presidential Palace to officially seal the coalition, stating that a “positive, third center” must be created for opposition-leaning, undecided voters to make their choice easier.
Meanwhile, the de-facto authorities in the Russia-occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali have responded to ruling party leader Bidzina Ivanishvili‘s recent statement blaming the 2008 war on external forces and the previous Georgian government. They have criticized his remarks and accused him of trying to shift the blame away from the Georgian government.
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