Estonia and Latvia ban entry of 10 Georgian officials and former PM Ivanishvili

Estonia and Latvia, following the example of Lithuania, imposed a ban on the entry of a number of Georgian authorities in sharp condemnation of the significant human rights violations related to the Georgian protests.

Source: European Pravda

Details: According to an Estonian Foreign Ministry statement, on 2 December, Foreign Minister Margus Tsakhkna imposed sanctions that barred 11 Georgian government officials from entering Estonia, including Georgian Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri and the Georgian Dream party’s Honorary Chairman Bidzina Ivanishvili.

According to Tsahkna, the entrance restriction was issued on these individuals because they participated in serious abuses of human rights by violently suppressing legal protests in Georgia.

Quote: "The Georgian people should be able to stand up for their rights because their ruling party has been systematically lying to Georgians for a long time, and people have the right to express their feelings through protests. Violence against protesters is disproportionate and against human rights,"  Tsakhna said. 

The Estonian Foreign Ministry stated that Latvia and Lithuania have enforced similar entrance prohibitions.

In a statement, the Latvian Foreign Ministry said that in response to the suppression of protests, Georgian Ambassador to Latvia Irakli Kurashvili was summoned to the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to hear the condemnation of Georgian authorities' violence and accept a protest note.

Latvia underlines that such acts violate Georgia's international duties, particularly to develop democracy and the rule of law in the country. Latvia calls on Georgia's authorities to immediately stop the violence, secure the safety and security of peaceful protestors, and bring the officials who committed these crimes to account, according to a statement issued by the Baltic state's Foreign Ministry.

Background:

• Earlier on Monday, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, who will soon leave office, ordered a prohibition on entry for certain Georgian officials.
• Large-scale anti-government protests have been taking place in Georgia for the last several days after the authorities indicated that they would not be negotiating EU membership for the next four years.
• Georgian security personnel employed severe measures against protesters, drawing censure from the West.

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