(Washington) The United States announced a new round of sanctions Monday targeting Georgian officials accused of repressing protests against controversial “foreign influence” legislation modeled on a repressive Russian law.
The sanctions target two senior Georgian Interior Ministry officials “associated with the brutal repression of peaceful protesters and political opponents,” as well as two other Georgians, according to a Treasury Department statement.
They are Zviad “Khareba” Kharazishvili and one of his deputies, Mileri Lagazauri.
The two officials waged a campaign of violence that “included the brutal beating of numerous participants in nonviolent protests against the new foreign influence law, including Georgian citizens and members of the opposition,” according to the Treasury.
Two leaders of an extremist group are also sanctioned.
“We remain concerned about human rights abuses and anti-democratic actions in Georgia, and we will continue to consider additional actions in response to these violations,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a separate statement.
The State Department also imposed visa restrictions on more than 60 Georgian officials and their relatives, barring them from traveling to the United States.
The US sanctions have the effect of freezing any assets these individuals may have in the United States and any financial transactions with them.
The United States suspended more than $95 million in aid to Georgia over “undemocratic actions” after the controversial legislation was passed in May.
The Georgian Dream, the ruling party in this former Soviet republic in the Caucasus, has strengthened its conservative and anti-Western turn in recent years.