Sanction Those Responsible for Georgia's Democratic Backsliding

EPP Group MEPs on a mission to Georgia call for sanctions against the current Georgian government. “I am really proud of the Georgian people. They know that the future of their country is in their hands and that its European path is at stake. We stand with President Salome Zourabichvili and all pro-European Georgians who are fighting for the democratic future of their country,” stressed Rasa Juknevičienė, MEP and the European Parliament’s Spokesperson on Georgia, as she begins the European Parliament's cross-party fact-finding mission to Tbilisi. 

“What is happening on the streets of Georgia is utterly unacceptable. The beating of peaceful demonstrators and arrests of opponents are straight out of the authoritarian playbook now being used by the ruling Georgian Dream party. This has no place in a nation that aspires to join Europe. Today, Georgia stands at a crossroads, and its people know exactly what they are fighting for. When EU foreign Ministers meet on Monday, they must not hesitate to impose sanctions on officials and political leaders responsible for democratic backsliding, election violations, administrative abuses, and the misuse of state institutions, including Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze,” Juknevičienė underlined. 

A cross-party delegation of MEPs led by Juknevičienė is in Tbilisi today to show their support for Georgian civil society and President Salome Zourabichvili in their fight for a European future for their country. The MEPs will meet President Zourabichvili, representatives from the opposition, civil society and independent media.