US sanctions Bidzina Ivanishvi, founder of Georgia’s ruling party

Sanctions travel amid wide protests against the Georgian government’s determination to intermission EU accession efforts.

The United States has sanctioned Bidzina Ivanishvili, Georgia’s erstwhile premier curate and laminitis of the governing Georgian Dream party, amid protests against a pause successful European Union accession efforts.

In a connection connected Friday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Ivanishvili and his party had undermined antiauthoritarian institutions and “derailed Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic future” to the payment of Russia.

“Ivanishvili and Georgian Dream’s actions person eroded antiauthoritarian institutions, enabled quality rights abuses, and curbed the workout of cardinal freedoms successful Georgia,” Blinken said.

Georgian Dream and Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced past period that they would suspend talks connected Georgia’s introduction into the EU until 2028.

The announcement followed a solution by the European Parliament that had refused to recognise the results of Georgia’s October 26 elections based connected allegations of “significant irregularities”, which Kobakhidze called an enactment of “blackmail”.

The extremity of joining the EU was added to Georgia’s constitution successful 2017, and protesters took to the streets successful absorption to the suspension of rank efforts.

While Kobakhidze has said that Georgia volition inactive prosecute EU rank with the extremity of joining by 2030, the protests person continued successful absorption to steps taken by the governing enactment that critics accidental people civilian nine groups and property freedom.

The authorities has responded to the wide demonstrations with a harsh constabulary crackdown.

Police besides person raided absorption enactment offices, and the premier curate has dismissed calls for a new election.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said earlier this week that Georgian constabulary had responded to mostly peaceful protests successful the superior of Tbilisi with “brutal violence”.

“In wide and seemingly punitive acts, information forces person chased down, violently detained, and bushed protesters,” the rights radical said successful a connection connected December 24.

“Police besides tortured and different ill-treated them successful constabulary vans and constabulary stations.”

The EU has besides condemned the crackdown, stating that the bloc “stands with the Georgian radical and their prime for a European future”.

On December 18, the US sanctioned respective elder Georgian Interior Ministry officials who it accused of complicity successful the crackdown connected protesters.

Meanwhile, Friday’s sanctions frost Ivanishvili’s assets successful the US.

Ivanishvili and his allies successful authorities person repeatedly said successful caller years that the billionaire was already nether “de facto sanctions” by the US, thing Washington had denied.

Georgian Dream did not instantly respond to a petition for remark from the Reuters quality bureau connected the caller sanctions.

Source

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Al Jazeera and quality agencies