U.S. Will Prohibit Visas For Nearly Dozen Dozen More Georgian Officials For Undermining Democracy

The U.S. will prohibit the issuing of visas for nearly a dozen more individuals responsible for undermining democracy in Georgia, bringing the total number to over 100, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

The latest visa actions, which were announced this Thursday, "apply to approximately a dozen individuals," a State Department spokesperson told TURAN's Washington correspondent.

"Since the policy was implemented in May 2024, the Department has taken steps to impose visa restrictions on over 100 Georgian individuals," a State Department spokesperson said.

As a part of its policy, the State Department does not name the people who would be prohibited from receiving U.S. visas.

Washington has also targeted several high level Georgian officials since this summer, including two of them this week — Minister of Internal Affairs Vakhtang Gomelauri and Deputy Head of the Ministry’s Special Task Department Mirza Kezevadze — with Global Magnitsky sanctions for the violent crackdown on pro-European protests that have been ongoing for weeks.

The move freezes any of their U.S. assets and generally bars Americans from dealing with them. Those that engage in certain activities with the sanctioned officials also risk being hit with punitive measures.

Protests against Georgia Dream intensified at the end of November when the GD leadership announced it was putting EU accession negotiations on hold until 2028.

More than 460 people have reportedly been detained across the country over the past two weeks, while over 300 have been ill-treated or tortured, including dozens of members of the media, according to independent watchdog Transparency International

The U.S. has condemned the crackdown and pledged further punitive actions against the Georgian Dream officials.