The UK is withdrawing all support to the Georgian government and will limit defense cooperation until Tbilisi stops moving away from European values.
This is London’s reaction to the crackdown on protests in Georgia and violence, including against journalists. At the same time, Britain will continue to support the Georgian people in their right to choose their future.
Protests in Georgia continue for the 11th day. During this time, security forces detained more than 400 people. Water cannons, batons, and rubber balls were used to disperse the protesters. People took to the streets because the government abandoned EU accession negotiations until 2028.
The United States has suspended its strategic partnership with Georgia and may impose sanctions against Georgia due to violent methods of suppressing protests for the country’s European integration, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken previously reported.
The United States strongly condemns the Georgian Dream Party’s brutal and unjustified violence against Georgian citizens, protesters, members of the media, and the opposition. We call on Georgian Dream to end the repressive tactics, including arbitrary detention and physical violence, that are used to silence critics,” Blinken said in a statement on the State Department website.
According to the Secretary of State, of particular concern are reports of “serious injuries caused to people by law enforcement officers.” Blinken called for the immediate dismissal of all those “detained for exercising their rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression” and for the prosecution of officials responsible for the “unlawful use of force.”
Source: Racurs
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