U.S. Ambassador Robin Dunnigan said the Georgian government is “isolating Georgia,” citing, in particular, the statement made by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze during their bilateral meeting a day earlier. During the September 17 meeting, Kobakhidze warned the Ambassador that the U.S. had reached “critical limits” by imposing new sanctions on Georgian officials and individuals and that another such decision would cause Georgia to “reconsider” its position on Georgian-American relations.
National Bank of Georgia issued a statement on the U.S. sanctions imposed on Georgian citizens for undermining democracy, saying that the sanctions will not be implemented by the Georgian financial sector until the Georgian court rules “the legally binding verdict.” “The sanctions regime shall apply to the citizen of Georgia if a legally binding verdict of guilt has been issued by the court of Georgia regarding the basis of the imposed sanctions,” says the NBG statement.
On the other hand, Grigory Karasin, head of the Russian Federation Council’s International Affairs Committee praised the ruling Georgian Dream party Chair Bidzina Ivanishvili’s pledge to apologize to Ossetian sisters and brothers. “Georgia has matured politically over the past 16 years. The futility of eternal confrontation has become clear to many,” Karasin said in a Telegram post.
The de facto Foreign Ministry (MFA) of the occupied Tskhinvali region also reacted to the Georgian Dream chair Bidzina Ivanishvili’s remarks regarding Georgia’s apology to “Ossetian sisters and brothers” for the August 2008 war. The statement issued by the de facto Foreign Ministry says that Ivanishvili’s remarks should be viewed in the context of Georgia’s pre-election campaign and that Tskhinvali expects the subsequent “practical measures” in the future.
In the meantime, the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) in Georgia reported that its monitors were temporarily detained by “security forces” near the occupation line in Abkhazia. The monitors were conducting a routine patrol in the Khurcha area when they were detained by the occupation forces. They were released unharmed and in good health, EUMM says.
Georgia’s international partners and human rights organizations have slammed the adoption of the anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, stressing that it undermines the fundamental rights of the people, and increases discrimination and stigmatization. Foreign partners also warned Georgia that this legislation further derails the country from the EU path. In this piece, Civil.ge has compiled international reactions to the passing of the anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.
Famous Georgian transwoman Kesaria Abramidze, 37, is reported dead. The circumstances are yet unknown but initial reports suggest violent crime. The news comes a day after the parliament passed the anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. The Criminal Police assures that the perpetrator will be brought to justice, while the Public Defender claims that “This fact is yet another confirmation that law enforcement and the public response to hate and gender-motivated crimes must be especially strict.
Social Justice Center issued a statement, slamming the four-year sentence handed down in the case of Giorgi Shanidze, an activist against the Law on Foreign Agents. In its statement, the organization emphasized that the decision was “an exemplary punishment for political activism” and that the Prosecutor’s Office selectively applied existing strict legislation to Shanidze’s case. Shanidze was found guilty of illegally cultivating plants containing narcotics and damaging surveillance cameras.