EPP Group urges EU to impose sanctions on Georgian Government over opposition arrests

The European People’s Party (EPP) Group has called on EU Member States to adopt targeted personal sanctions against what it refers to as the ''Georgian regime," following the recent imprisonment of several opposition leaders in Georgia.

In an official statement, the EPP strongly condemned what it described as politically motivated detentions, emphasizing that the arrests represent a serious backsliding in democratic principles and the rule of law. “We strongly condemn the imprisonment of opposition leaders,” the statement reads.

The call comes in response to a series of court rulings delivered in Tbilisi over the past days. On June 24, Giorgi Vashadze, leader of the opposition party Strategy Aghmashenebeli, was sentenced to seven months in prison for failing to appear before a parliamentary commission. A day earlier, on June 23, Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, leaders of the Lelo- Strong Georgia movement, were each sentenced to eight months in prison on the same charges. Also on June 23, Zurab “Girchi” Japaridze, one of the leaders of the Coalition for Change, received an eight-month sentence under similar circumstances.

In addition to prison time, all four opposition figures were banned from holding public office for a period of two years.