Georgian opposition offers EU to impose sanctions on judges and law enforcers

Oppositionists have presented a list of five persons, who, in their opinion, were involved in political persecutions of activists in Georgia. The authors expect that those on the list will be banned from entering the countries of the European Union (EU).

According to Tina Bokuchava, one of the leaders of the United National Movement (UNM), the list includes judges Valerian Pilishvili and Giorgi Arevadze; prosecutor Vazha Todua; Kakha Bukhradze, the deputy head of the Main Directorate of Patrol Police; and Nugzar Chonkadze, the head of the Security Service of the Tbilisi Mayoralty.

She noted that the list will be complemented, the "InterPressNews" reports.

According to the opposition, the list is intended to be transferred to Georgia's western partners to impose individual sanctions – a fine or restriction of the right to travel within the EU countries, the "Georgia Online" has reported.

"We urge our international partners to impose financial or visa restrictions on them," the "Georgia Online" quotes Levan Tarkhnishvili, an activist of the "European Georgia", as saying.

On November 29, 2019, one of the listed judges, Valerian Pilishvili, ruled to arrest activists Beka Papashvili and Giorgi Rukhaya. Lasha Chkhartishvili, a member of the Labour Party, who was fined by the judge, tried to challenge him. The prosecutor Vazha Todua acted in conviction cases in June 2019.

In 2018, Judge Giorgi Arevadze sentenced Mikhail Saakashvili, the UNM founder, which angered the members of the party.