The US Treasury Department has sanctioned 4 citizens of Georgia – Zviad Kharazishvili, Mileri Lagazauri, Konstantine Morgoshia and Zurab Makharadze.

“Today, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned individuals who have undermined fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression, in Georgia. The Department of the Treasury sanctioned 2 Georgian government officials associated with brutal crackdowns on peaceful protestors and political opponents, and 2 private Georgian citizens that are responsible for or complicit in, or have directly or indirectly engaged in violently suppressing the exercise of the freedom of peaceful assembly of Georgians engaged in the democratic process and peaceful expression. All 4 individuals are being designated pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13818, which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, targets perpetrators of serious human rights abuse.

“Today’s action underscores our concern about the consequences of anti-democratic actions in Georgia and efforts by key individuals to use violence and intimidation to achieve their aims”, said Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T. Smith. “The US remains committed to holding accountable those who seek to undermine the rights of the Georgian people”.

Georgian government officials responsible for the violent SUPPRESSION of free speech in 2024

On May 28, 2024, despite weeks of mass protests against the proposed legislation, the ruling Georgia Dream party passed a law titled “On Transparency of Foreign Influence,” known colloquially as the “foreign influence law,” that Secretary of State Antony Blinken has stated would stifle fundamental freedoms, including media freedom. It also runs counter to values which bind Georgia to Europe and the European Union. This law requires non-governmental organizations and outlets, including media organizations, that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from foreign sources to register as organizations “pursuing the interest of a foreign power”.

During the protests that occurred prior to passage of the law, security forces from the Ministry of Internal Affairs Special Task Department (Special Task Department) violently targeted Georgian citizens, political opposition leaders, journalists, and youth activists who were peacefully expressing their views. This violence was overseen by the Chief of the Special Task Department, Zviad Kharazishvili (Kharazishvili), and his Deputy, Mileri Lagazauri (Lagazauri).

The violence perpetuated by the Special Task Department included the brutal beatings of many attendees of the non-violent protests against the new foreign influence law, including Georgian citizens and opposition politicians. Kharazishvili is well known for his punitive actions against political opponents and has been personally involved in the physical and verbal abuse of protestors.

Kharazishvili and Lagazauri are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13818 for being foreign persons who are, or have been, leaders or officials of an entity, including any government entity, that has engaged in, or whose members have engaged in, serious human rights abuse related to the leader’s or official’s tenure.

Organizers of violent Attacks on Freedom of PEACEFUL Assembly

Konstantine Morgoshia (Morgoshia) is a founder of Alt-Info, a media company which he used to amplify disinformation and spread hate speech and threats against marginalized communities. In July 2021 and 2023 he advocated for violent attacks against marginalized persons peacefully exercising their fundamental freedoms of expression and assembly and led hundreds of followers to break into NGO offices and attack journalists and police officers at the scene.

Zurab Makharadze (Makharadze) is a media personality associated with Alt-Info and is one of the most vocal supporters of violence against peaceful demonstrators and marginalized Georgians. He directly encouraged violence against minority groups and journalists online prior to the violent attacks on marginalized communities and helped to direct, organize, and fundraise for the anti-human rights violence in 2021 and 2023. During the attacks, he led a group to clear out protestors from in front of the Georgian parliament and then instructed followers to go with Morgoshia to attack the NGO offices. Morgoshia and Makharadze are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13818 for being foreign persons who are responsible for or complicit in, or have directly or indirectly engaged in, serious human rights abuse”, - reads the statement of the US Department of the Treasury.