The country of Georgia severely cracked down on protests sparked by the passing of a foreign agent law.
The Department of the Treasury imposed new sanctions and visa restrictions against four Georgian individuals this week, designating two government officials and two of the country’s political activists for violent responses to public protests.
In May of this year, Georgians protested the passage of a new “foreign agent” law that requires organizations that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from overseas to register as “agents of foreign influence.” The country is imposing stringent disclosure requirements and threatening fines for those that do not cooperate.
In response, the Georgian government suppressed the protests. One of the officials sanctioned by the Treasury personally engaging in the physical and verbal abuse of the protesters.
The Treasury Department stated, “The violence perpetuated by the Special Task Department included the brutal beatings of many attendees of the non-violent protests against the new foreign influence law, including Georgian citizens and opposition politicians.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For wisdom for Secretary Yellen and Treasury officials as they assess other nations’ human rights stances.
- For Acting Under Secretary Bradley Smith as he oversees the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.
Sources: Reuters, VOA News
