London sanctions Georgia’s interior minister and four other senior officials for repression during protests

MADRID Dec. 19 () –

The United Kingdom authorities imposed sanctions this Thursday against the Minister of the Interior of Georgia, Vakhtang Gomelauri, the head of the Tbilisi Police, Suljan Tamazashvili, and three other senior government officials for the “brutal repression” carried out against protesters and workers. of media during the protests recorded in recent months.

The British Foreign Office has indicated in a statement that the measures also affect the Deputy Minister of the Interior, Aleksandre Darakhvelidze, the head of the Department of Special Operations, Zviad Kharazishvili, and his ‘number two’, Mileri Lagazauri. All of them have been found “responsible for attacking journalists and peaceful protesters.”

“The Georgian authorities have launched systematic measures against civil society, the press and opposition figures in the context of protests against the Government and the Georgian Dream party and their decision to paralyze the country’s accession process to the EU. “, has indicated the British Government.

London has regretted that this measure “undermines a central component of the Georgian Constitution and has been seen as the Government’s last step in its rapprochement with Russia, a position that places the country in a situation of greater vulnerability.” The measure comes just a week after the United Kingdom suspended all support programs for the Georgian Government.

The British Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, has regretted the “violence inflicted on protesters, opposition leaders and journalists in what amounts to a terrible attack on democracy and the right of the Georgian people to exercise their fundamental rights.”

“Our actions show once again that the United Kingdom stands with the people of Georgia and will consider all possible options to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice,” he stressed.