MEP: 'You can’t attend Paris Fashion Week while Georgian people suffer such hardships'
Sanctions on Georgian officials
“We expect 1,000 to 2,000 Georgian officials and their family members to lose visa-free access to the European Union. You cannot attend Paris Fashion Week while the Georgian people are facing such hardships,” said Nacho Sánchez Amor, coordinator of the European Parliament’s foreign policy faction, in an interview with TV Pirveli.
He added that sanctions targeting a handful of senior officials would not improve the situation. Instead, he argued for a comprehensive list including politicians, members of the judiciary and prosecution, as well as leaders of the ruling Georgian Dream party.
What Sanchez Amor said
“In my personal view, sanctions should target not only the highest-level officials but also those who persecute demonstrators and defenders of democracy. For me, this includes not just politicians, senior judicial and prosecutorial officials, but also high-ranking members of the penitentiary system.
I believe these measures should affect their circles. It is painful to see family members of those connected to the ruling kleptocrats—people who are destroying the country—attending Paris Fashion Week. This is unbearable.
You cannot attend Paris Fashion Week, flaunting the benefits you gain from belonging to a politician’s family, while the Georgian people endure these hardships. Protesters receive fines again and again, while these individuals enjoy the country’s wealth, living in luxury across Europe. This must end. Sanctions will only be effective if they are comprehensive.
We expect the European Commission to prepare a large list. I do not know if it will include 1,000 or 2,000 people, but the key point is that the list must be genuinely extensive.”
Sanctions on Georgian officials
