Foreign Secretary of the UK: Imposing sentences on Georgian political leaders serves to prevent them from participating in forthcoming elections
In response to the politically motivated sentencing of Georgian opposition leaders and broader democratic backsliding in the country, the UK and various European nations are taking several specific actions to express their concern and pressure the Georgian government.
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) has summoned the Georgian chargé d’affaires to condemn the Georgian Dream government’s crackdown on political opposition, civil society, and independent media. This move signals the UK's strong objection to the government's trajectory and false accusations against international partners. The UK has warned it would consider further punitive measures if Georgia does not restore democratic norms.
Since late 2024, the UK has imposed multiple rounds of targeted sanctions against senior Georgian officials involved in protest crackdowns and corruption. These include sanctions on high-ranking figures such as former Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri, senior judges Mikheil Chinchaladze and Levan Murusidze, and Prosecutor General Giorgi Gabitashvili.
The UK has also issued sanctions guidance for businesses operating in Georgia, warning them against involvement in evading UK and European sanctions on Russia, highlighting risks of Georgian firms acting as intermediaries for illicit re-export of sanctioned goods.
On the European side, several EU political groups, including the European People's Party (EPP) and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), have called for targeted sanctions on Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, and other top party members.
European Foreign Ministers (17 in total), along with the European Commission led by Ursula von der Leyen and others, have expressed being “disturbed” and “deeply concerned” about the worsening democratic situation in Georgia, reflecting growing anxiety at the highest levels of European diplomacy over the country’s backsliding.
Some European embassies, including the British Embassy, have rejected government accusations of foreign funding for opposition or civil society groups and have urged the Georgian government to invite international observers such as ODIHR to monitor elections and democratic processes.
Multiple cancelations of planned grants and aid suspensions by the UK and European countries have been implemented, citing the “uncertainty” caused by Georgian government policies hostile to civil society and democratic freedoms.
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, in a meeting with Giorgi Gakharia, former Prime Minister of Georgia, expressed strong concerns about the political situation in Georgia following the meeting. Sikorski voiced the possibility of sanctions against individuals responsible for political repression in Georgia and expressed hope that the Georgian government would return to the commitments it made during the elections, rather than continuing down a path that distances the country from Europe.
The UK has raised concerns over recent repressive legislation affecting civil society and the media, as well as restrictions on freedom of assembly and arbitrary arrests. The UK had previously urged the ruling Georgian Dream party to stop abusing the judiciary to silence dissent and to release all political prisoners.
Despite the tensions, the UK reaffirmed its continued support for Georgia's Euro-Atlantic aspirations. Giorgi Gakharia, Chairman of the Gakharia for Georgia party, voiced his main message regarding the alleged suspension of visa-free regime for Georgia in meetings with ministers and EU representatives in Brussels.
The FCDO summoned Georgia's acting ambassador to express the UK's opposition to Georgia's increasingly harmful trajectory. UK Minister for Europe at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), Stephen Doughty, chaired an emergency meeting with like-minded European democrats to discuss the situation in Georgia and potential response measures.
Doughty is deeply concerned about the recent sentencing of several prominent Georgian opposition figures. He recalled a recent conversation with Georgia's 5th President Salome Zurabishvili, expressing support for her efforts to protect democratic values in Georgia.
In summary, the UK and European nations are using diplomatic pressure, summoning Georgian officials, imposing sanctions on key Georgian officials, restricting aid and cooperation, calling for international monitoring, and pushing for targeted sanctions against ruling party elites as coordinated responses to the democratic backsliding and political repression in Georgia. These actions signal a firm stance against the undermining of democratic institutions and the politically motivated crackdown on opposition figures.
- Amidst the political tensions, the UK has reportedly cautioned it might institute additional sanctions against Georgia if the country fails to reinstate democratic norms, as a part of broader actions that include policy and legislative debates in general news, crime and justice, and war and conflicts discussions.
- The UK has also been active in the arena of politics and diplomacy, raising concerns over repressive legislation affecting civil society and media, and calling for international monitoring in Georgia, in a concerted European effort to express disapproval over the worsening democratic situation and pressure the Georgian government to restore democratic norms.
