WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has imposed sanctions on the founder of Georgia’s ruling political party, which has led the country away from a pro-Western stance toward Russia, US officials said on Friday.
The ministries of foreign affairs and finance said they had hit the founder and honorary chairman of the Georgian Dream party Bidzina Ivanishvili with penalties “for undermining the democratic and Euro-Atlantic future of Georgia for the benefit of the Russian Federation,” a statement said.
Ivanishvili’s appointment is the latest in a series of sanctions the US has imposed on Georgian politicians, lawmakers and others this year. These sanctions include the freezing of assets and property that the targets may have in U.S. jurisdictions or that may enter U.S. jurisdictions, as well as travel bans on the targets and members of their families.
“We strongly condemn the actions of Georgian Dream under the leadership of Ivanishvili, including the continued and violent repression of Georgian citizens, protesters, members of the media, human rights activists and opposition figures,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “The United States is committed to promoting accountability for those who undermine democracy and human rights in Georgia.”
Ivanishvili is a shadowy billionaire who made his fortune in Russia and briefly served as Prime Minister of Georgia. In 2012 he founded Georgian Dream, Georgia’s old ruling party.
Critics have accused the Georgian Dream of becoming increasingly authoritarian and tilted towards Moscow. The party recently pushed through laws similar to those used by the Kremlin to tackle freedom of expression and LGBTQ+ rights, prompting the European Union to indefinitely suspend Georgia’s membership application process.
In October, Georgian Dream won another term in divisive parliamentary elections that have sparked more mass protests. Last month, the country’s Prime Minister, Irakli Kobakhidzeannounced a four-year suspension of talks on Georgia’s bid to join the European Union further public outrage.