The United States is imposing sanctions today on Georgian Minister of Internal Affairs Vakhtang Gomelauri and the Deputy Head of the Ministry’s Special Task’s Department Mirza Kezevadze under the Global Magnitsky sanctions program. The Ministry of Internal Affairs 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.
Today’s action builds on visa actions announced last week, expands U.S. sanctions imposed on Georgian officials in September, and complements actions taken by the UK today and actions taken in recent days by several other European countries.
The United States strongly condemns the 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 Department of the Treasury actions were taken pursuant to Executive Order 13818, which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act and targets perpetrators of serious human rights abuse around the world. For more information, see Treasury’s press release. The Department of State’s steps to impose visa restrictions were taken pursuant to Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, under the policy announced in May 2024.
