Baltic States Urge EU Sanctions Against Georgian Officials

The Baltic states are advocating for EU sanctions against Georgian officials following a harsh police crackdown on protesters. They have already sanctioned 11 officials themselves, including the founder of the Georgian Dream Party. Growing protests in Georgia criticize the ruling party's anti-Western stance and democratic decline.

The three Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, are appealing to the European Commission to levy sanctions on certain Georgian government officials responsible for a violent police response to protests, EU diplomats revealed on Monday.

These countries have collectively imposed sanctions on 11 high-ranking officials, urging the EU to adopt similar measures. Among those sanctioned are Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire founder of Georgia's ruling party, and key figures within the interior ministry. Lithuania's Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis announced the denial of entry to these individuals in Lithuania due to their involvement in human rights abuses.

The European Commission has yet to offer a public statement on the situation. Meanwhile, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has called on Europe to address what she views as a Russian attempt to exert control over her country. Protests have erupted throughout Georgia, fueled by dissatisfaction with the ruling party's choice to halt EU accession discussions and concerns over democratic regression, with widespread condemnation from Western nations and the United States over the police's disproportionate use of force.

(With inputs from agencies.)