The UK has imposed sanctions on four senior Georgian officials for their roles in enabling serious human rights abuses during the government’s violent response to widespread
protests since 2024.
This latest action includes sanctions against Georgia’s General Prosecutor, Giorgi Gabitashvili, marking the first time any country has targeted someone in that position. The UK also sanctioned Karlo Katsitadze, Head of the Special Investigatory Service, for failing to investigate state-led violence against demonstrators.
The measures come in response to a wave of anti-government protests triggered by Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream, and the government’s subsequent violent crackdown on protesters, journalists, and opposition figures. Security forces reportedly carried out arbitrary arrests and brutal assaults across the country.
Today’s sanctions include travel bans and asset freezes on the following individuals:
- Giorgi Gabitashvili – General Prosecutor
- Karlo Katsitadze – Head of the Special Investigatory Service
- Shalva Bedoidze – First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs
- Mirza Kezevadze – Deputy Chief of the Special Task Department
These individuals are now barred from entering the UK or accessing its financial systems.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy condemned the violence, stating:
“The scenes of brutal violence against protestors, journalists and opposition figures in Georgia were truly shocking. More than 100 days on, its authorities have failed to hold those responsible to account, flying in the face of Georgian Dream’s claim to be delivering a democratic future for its citizens.
“Our sanctions show the UK will not accept such a blatant lack of accountability by those in charge, and will continue to consider all options available to us until Georgia reverses its current trajectory. We stand with the people of Georgia and their constitutional right to fundamental freedoms and to pursue a European path.”
This move builds on sanctions issued in December 2024 against five other Georgian officials involved in the crackdown. The UK government has also suspended its strategic ‘Wardrop Dialogue’ with Georgia, cut back governmental support, and reduced engagement with Georgian Dream due to increasing anti-Western rhetoric and democratic backsliding.
The UK expressed particular concern over Georgian Dream’s recent efforts to introduce harsh new laws targeting civil society and opposition voices, with critics warning of severe penalties for dissent.
Lammy reaffirmed the UK’s support for the Georgian people’s democratic aspirations and their constitutional right to pursue a European future. Photo by GeoO, Wikimedia commons.