The U.S. will ban the issuing of visas for at least 20 people responsible for “undermining democracy in Georgia.” The list will include government ministers, parliament members and security officials, according to the State Department on Thursday.
Note that the department’s statement had not listed the people who would be barred from receiving U.S. visas.
Hundreds of people have been detained in Georgia since the nightly protests broke out almost two weeks ago over a decision by the ruling Georgian Dream party to delay the former Soviet republic’s longstanding goal of joining the European Union.
“The United States strongly condemns the Georgian Dream party’s ongoing, brutal, and unjustified violence against Georgian citizens, including protesters, members of the media, human rights activists, and opposition figures,” the State Department said, adding that the department was “preparing additional actions, including sanctions, to hold to account those who undermine democracy in Georgia.”
