The European Parliament has adopted a report on Georgia, emphasizing that personal sanctions against Bidzina Ivanishvili, leaders of the Georgian Dream party, judges, prosecutors, and other officials are an important tool in the fight against impunity.
The European Parliament welcomed the fact that, in the absence of unanimity at the EU level, an increasing number of member states are independently introducing visa restrictions and other sanctions against Georgian officials, and called on other EU countries to follow suit.
The document reiterates the call for the European Union and its member states to immediately impose targeted personal sanctions against Bidzina Ivanishvili, his family members, and his companies.
In addition, the European Parliament called for:
- the freezing of Ivanishvili’s assets;
- cooperation on this matter with other jurisdictions, in particular the United Kingdom and the United States;
- expanding the sanctions lists to include individuals deemed responsible for democratic backsliding, election fraud, serious human rights violations, and the persecution of political opponents and activists in Georgia.
The report also states that sanctions should apply not only to officials, but also to the owners of companies and media outlets that, in the view of MEPs, facilitate the actions of the ruling party.
The European Parliament condemned the systemic impunity of officials and state institutions deemed responsible for political repression, pressure on journalists and human rights defenders, and the persecution of opposition figures.
The document specifically notes that the European Union’s response to the developments in Georgia remains insufficient and belated against the backdrop of what the report’s authors describe as an accelerating authoritarian consolidation of power.
The European Parliament called on the Council of the European Union and member states to urgently adopt coordinated, EU-wide restrictive measures against all politicians, officials, and individuals who, in the opinion of MEPs, contribute to the capture of state institutions, repression, and regime-funded propaganda.
The report also calls on the Hungarian government to lift its block preventing the introduction of EU-wide sanctions against Ivanishvili and the leadership of Georgian Dream, while recommending that the Council of the EU consider decision-making mechanisms for cases where unanimity among member states cannot be reached.