Georgian Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri and Deputy Director of the Department of Special Assignments Mirza Kezevadze have been added to the U.S. Treasury Department’s Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List, APA reports.
According to the US Department of State‘s announcement, Georgia’s Interior Ministry is responsible for “brutal and violent crackdowns on members of the media, opposition, and protesters, including during demonstrations throughout 2024.”
“The Department of State is also taking further steps to impose visa restrictions on additional Georgian individuals and their family members, including law enforcement and security officials who were involved in the violence against protesters, and municipal government officials who abused their power to restrict fundamental freedoms, including the right to vote without coercion or intimidation.”
The announcement also expressed “strong condemnation” by the US of Georgian authorities’ “ongoing, brutal, and unjustified violence against Georgian citizens, including peaceful protesters, media members, human rights activists, and opposition figures.”
We stand with the people of Georgia and remain committed to promoting accountability for those complicit in human rights abuses and undermining their democratic future,” the statement concluded.
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