The sanction tools remain in our hands, said Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the US Department of State.
In particular, he answered a question about the possibility of sanctioning Bidzina Ivanishvili, the honorary chairman of the Georgian Dream.
“Taking one designation or taking a particular action one day doesn’t certainly designate us doing something else in the future. This is just the latest example of the United States using the tools at its disposal to hold perpetrators in Georgia accountable, and we of course continue to have these various tools at our disposal”, said Vedant Patel.
Patel also spoke about the sanctions already announced by the US Treasury Department and the Department of State and once again emphasized that the Georgian Dream party has turned away from Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic future.
“Today the Department of Treasury’s OFAC imposed sanctions on Georgia’s minister of internal affairs and Georgia’s deputy head of the ministry’s special task department. These are leaders who have been involved in the brutal crackdowns on members of the media and peaceful protestors, including during demonstrations throughout 2024. The Department of State also announced that it took steps to impose additional visa restrictions on individuals responsible for or complicit in undermining democracy in Georgia and their immediate family members.
These actions follow the visa actions that we announced last week, and ultimately this is something the United States strongly condemns Georgian Dreams’ ongoing brutal violence against Georgian citizens, Georgian protestors, and members of the media, human rights activists and opposition figures. Our view is that the Georgian Dream party has turned away from Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic future, which the Georgian people overwhelmingly desire and the Georgian constitution envisions. We are reminded – we remain committed to promoting accountability for those complicit in human rights abuses and undermining democracy in Georgia”, said Vedant Patel.
