The U.S. has imposed sanctions on Georgia’s former prime minister and billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, accusing him and the ruling party he founded of “undermining” the country’s “democratic and Euro-Atlantic future” to benefit Russia.
“Ivanishvili and Georgian Dream’s actions have eroded democratic institutions, enabled human rights abuses, and curbed the exercise of fundamental freedoms in Georgia,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a Friday statement .
“Furthermore, they have derailed Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic future, a future the Georgian people overwhelmingly desire and the Georgian constitution mandates,” Blinked added. “The result has left Georgia vulnerable to Russia, which continues to occupy more than 20 percent of Georgia’s territory.”
Ivanishvili, while not currently an elected official, was described as “honorary chairman” of Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream. The party claimed a win in the country’s recent elections. The party also announced in November it was suspending talks to join the EU, a decision that has sparked outrage and protests.