European Parliament to debate resolution on Georgia’s worsening political situation on February 13 – What’s inside?
European Parliament’s new resolution on Georgia
According to Formula TV, the European Parliament has prepared a draft resolution on the “Deterioration of the Political Situation in Georgia.” The resolution proposes sanctions against Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder and honorary chairman of the Georgian Dream party; Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze; Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili; Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze; as well as three pro-government propaganda TV channels.
The resolution will be put to a vote in the European Parliament on February 13.
The document highlights the existence of political prisoners in the country, the regime’s pressure on independent media, and states that the parliamentary elections on October 26, 2024, were rigged.
According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, if the resolution is adopted, the European Parliament will call on the EU Council and member states to impose sanctions on “a network of intermediaries, elite associates, corrupt financiers, propagandists, and those who support the state’s repressive apparatus” linked to Bidzina Ivanishvili.
Here is a partial list of individuals who may fall under the proposed sanctions:
- Family members of Bidzina Ivanishvili – his wife Ekaterine Khvedelidze and children Uta, Tsotne, Bera, and Gvantsa Ivanishvili; as well as his brother Alexander Ivanishvili, his niece Shmagi Kobakhidze, and his cousin Ucha Mamatsashvili.
- President of the National Bank of Georgia – Natia Turnava.
- Businessmen – Vano Chkhartishvili, Sulkhan Papashvili, and Giorgi Kapanadze.
- Chairman of the Government of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara – Tornike Rizhvadze.
- Businessman and politician – Ilia Tsulaia.
- Chairman of the Communications Commission and businessman – Kakhaber Bekauri.
- Politician and journalist – Lasha Natsvlishvili.
- Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Georgian Public Broadcaster – Vasil Maglaperidze, and Director General – Tinatin Berdzenishvili.
- Judges – Mikheil Chinchaladze and Levan Murusidze.
- Head of the State Security Service – Grigol Liluashvili.
- Co-owner of Liberty Bank and the Imedi TV channel – Irakli Rukhadze.
- Head of Georgian Airways – Tamaz Gaiashvili.
- Businessmen and politicians – Anton Obolashvili and Gocha Enukidze.
“The European Parliament calls on the EU and its member states to impose personal sanctions on Georgian officials and political leaders responsible for democratic backsliding, election fraud, human rights violations, and the prosecution of political opponents and activists. These include Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, Tbilisi Mayor and Georgian Dream Secretary General Kakha Kaladze, and party chairman Irakli Garibashvili. The sanctions should also extend to judges, including those of the Constitutional Court, who issue politically motivated rulings, law enforcement officials, and financial sponsors who covertly or openly support the regime. Additionally, they should target state media owners, including the broadcasters Imedi, Post TV, and Rustavi 2, for spreading disinformation and manipulating public discourse to sustain the authoritarian rule of the current governing party,” the draft resolution states.
The European Parliament also reiterates its call for EU member states to align with the United States and the United Kingdom by immediately imposing personal sanctions on Bidzina Ivanishvili and his family and freezing all his assets in the EU. Furthermore, it urges France to revoke Ivanishvili’s Legion of Honour award.
European Parliament’s new resolution on Georgia
