UK Imposes Sanctions on Georgian Officials for Human Rights Violations
Britain Imposes Sanctions on Georgian Officials for Human Rights Violations
Recently, Britain has taken action by imposing sanctions on four Georgian officials, including the country’s first deputy minister of internal affairs Shalva Bedoidze. These sanctions were put in place due to accusations of allowing serious human rights violations to occur in the country.
The protests in Georgia have been ongoing since November, sparked by the ruling Georgian Dream party’s decision to suspend European Union accession talks until 2028. The British government has specifically called out Bedoidze for engaging in actions that infringe on individuals’ rights to be free from cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.
During the protests following the announcement of the suspension of EU accession talks, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia was accused of overseeing the police force’s disproportionate use of violence against protesters. In addition to Bedoidze, the sanctions also target Mirza Kezevadze, deputy head of the special tasks department of the internal affairs ministry, general prosecutor Giorgi Gabitashvili, and Karlo Katsitadze, head of the special investigatory service.
Both Gabitashvili and Katsitadze have been criticized for failing to properly investigate those responsible for serious violence. As a result of these sanctions under Britain’s global human rights sanctions regime, all four officials are now banned from traveling to the UK and their assets in the country have been frozen.
This is not the first time that international sanctions have been imposed on Georgian officials, as both Britain and the US previously imposed sanctions on other officials, including the interior minister, in December. British foreign minister David Lammy expressed shock at the scenes of brutal violence against protesters, journalists, and opposition figures in Georgia, stating that the authorities have failed to hold those responsible to account even after more than 100 days.
With these sanctions in place, it is clear that the international community is taking a stand against human rights violations in Georgia and calling for accountability from those in power.
