UK Sanctions Four Georgian Officials Over Human Rights Abuses
By Liza Mchedlidze
Friday, April 11, 2025
The United Kingdom has imposed sanctions on four senior Georgian officials in response to serious human rights violations linked to violent crackdowns on protests in the country. The designations, announced by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), target Shalva Bedoidze, Mirza Kezevadze, Karlo Katsitadze, and Giorgi Gabitashvili under the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulation 2020.
The sanctions include asset freezes, meaning any funds or economic resources held by the individuals in the UK will be frozen.
"Our sanctions show the UK will not accept such a blatant lack of accountability by those in charge, and will continue to consider all options available to us until Georgia reverses its current trajectory," said UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy. "We stand with the people of Georgia and their constitutional right to fundamental freedoms and to pursue a European path."
Who was sanctioned and why:
Shalva Bedoidze, First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, was cited for being responsible for "a serious violation of the rights of individuals not to be subjected to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment." The FCDO noted that the ministry oversaw disproportionate police violence during the protests that erupted after Georgian Dream halted the EU accession process in November 2024. Bedoidze had already been sanctioned by the Baltic states in December 2024.
Giorgi Gabitashvili, Georgia's Prosecutor General, was found to have "intentionally or recklessly" failed to investigate and prosecute serious human rights violations committed by the Special Task Department and Tbilisi police. The sanctions cite his failure to act on the abuse of protesters, journalists, and opposition figures since November. Gabitashvili is also under sanctions from Estonia.
Karlo Katsitadze, Head of the Special Investigative Service, was accused of failing to hold law enforcement accountable for police violence during the protests against the controversial Foreign Agents Law. He was previously sanctioned by Estonia in December 2024.
Mirza Kezevadze, Deputy Head of the Special Task Department at the Interior Ministry, was sanctioned for overseeing acts of cruel and inhuman treatment during protests following the Foreign Agents Law's passage. The UK noted his role in brutal crackdowns on opposition members, journalists, and demonstrators. Kezevadze had already been sanctioned by the U.S., Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Czechia in late 2024.
