Spanish MEP Nacho Sánchez Amor: Georgian Dream only responds to personal sanctions

Spanish MEP Nacho Sánchez Amor, a member of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights, said today that the only measure Georgian Dream leaders react to is the imposition of personal sanctions.

Speaking at the Euronest session in the European Parliament on June 5, Sánchez Amor addressed the Georgian ruling party’s actions and statements, including Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s recent comparison of the European Parliament to Soviet-era institutions.

“From colleagues in the External Action Service and the European Commission, we have received a universal message: everyone says that the only thing that can stop these [anti-democratic actions by Georgian Dream] is personal sanctions,” Sánchez Amor said.

He elaborated further: “The only thing they responded to—people were calling, trying to find out what would happen to my property, my house in Spain, my son studying in Belgium. These are personal sanctions.”

Sánchez Amor added, “The people whose names have been published are calling the EU, NGOs, asking how they can get themselves removed from that list.”

The MEP recently visited Tbilisi with other members of the Human Rights Subcommittee. The delegation met with civil society representatives, members of opposition parties, the Public Defender of Georgia, and family members of those detained during pro-European demonstrations.