Lithuania has banned the entry of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire founder of the Georgian Dream party, and other Georgian politicians into the country.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis published on Monday a list of Georgian politicians who were sanctioned for human rights violations.
As announced by Landsbergis, among those sanctioned are Ivanishvili, Georgian Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri, Deputy Interior Ministers Shalva Bedoidze, Ioseb Chelidze, Aleksandre Darakhvelidze, and Giorgi Butkhuzi, Commander of the Security Forces Zviad Kharazishvili and his deputies Mileri Lagazauri and Mirza Kezevadze, Head of the Patrol Police Department Vaja Siradze, and Director of the Criminal Police Teimuraz Kupatadze.
Denied entry into Lithuania due to their responsibility for human rights abuses:
— Gabrielius Landsbergis🇱🇹 (@GLandsbergis) December 2, 2024
Bidzina Ivanishvili
Vakhtang Gomelauri
Shalva Bedoidze
Ioseb Chelidze
Aleksandre Darakhvelidze
Giorgi Butkhuzi
Zviad Kharazishvili
Mileri Lagazauri
Mirza Kezevadze
Vaja Siradze
Teimuraz Kupatadze
“The three Baltic States jointly agreed to impose national sanctions against those who suppressed legitimate protests in Georgia,” Landsbergis posted on X on Sunday.
The sanctions follow the use of rubber bullets, water cannons, and tear gas by riot police in Tbilisi against protesters. The demonstrators in turn used pyrotechnics.
The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said in a press release on Monday that the decision to impose sanctions was made by Interior Minister Agnė Bilotaitė on the foreign minister’s recommendation.
Under the Law on the Legal Status of Foreigners, a foreign national can be banned from entering Lithuania if there is a strong reason to believe that they have “committed a serious or grave crime against a person in a foreign state thus violating the universal human rights and freedoms”.
“The excessive use of force by the Georgian government against peaceful protesters and civil society is unjustifiable. The fundamental right of citizens to free speech and peaceful assembly must be respected in a democratic state,” Bilotaitė was quoted as saying in the press release.
On Sunday, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda condemned the use of force against the Georgian people and called for a new parliamentary election.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze last week announced that Georgia would not seek to begin EU accession talks until late 2028. It triggered a fierce backlash from the opposition and sparked a wave of protests across the country.
Georgia has been in turmoil since the ruling Georgian Dream declared victory in parliamentary elections on October 26, which the pro-European opposition claims were rigged.
Georgia’s pro-Western President Salome Zourabichvili is seeking to have the election results annulled through the Constitutional Court. She has vowed to remain in office until a new parliamentary election is held.
The Georgian Dream party, founded by Ivanishvili, who made his fortune in Russia, has faced criticism for becoming increasingly authoritarian and pushing the country into the Kremlin’s sphere of influence.
The goal of EU membership is enshrined in Georgia’s Constitution and supported by 80 percent of the country’s population, according to opinion polls.
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