EPP calls on EU to impose targeted sanctions on Ivanishvili and his circle

The European People’s Party (EPP) issued a statement on the latest developments in Georgia.

“As the Georgian people continue to fight for their liberties and European future, oligarch Ivanishvili’s Georgian Dream (GD) held another sham elections on 4 October with the lowest turnout in Georgia’s history and boycotted by major opposition parties, amid mass repressions and violence against the regime’s opponents”, the statement reads.

“The latest arrests and further threats of persecution by the GD officials is aimed at curbing the people’s right to protest, eliminating the pro-Western opposition and instilling total fear in the society. We call on the Georgian Dream to stop violence and repression, and respect the Georgian people’s European aspirations.

“We call on the European Union and its member states to impose targeted sanctions on Bidzina Ivanishvili and his enablers complicit in undermining democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Georgia.”