UK Summons Georgian Diplomat Over Crackdown on Civil Society, Warns of Further Action
By Liza Mchedlidze
Wednesday, July 2, 2025
The United Kingdom has summoned Georgia's chargé d'affaires to express deep concern over what it describes as the Georgian Dream government's intensifying crackdown on civil society, media freedom, and political opposition. The British Foreign Office confirmed the meeting took place on June 30 and warned of further consequences if Georgia does not return to democratic norms.
George Saganelidze, currently serving as Georgia's chargé d'affaires in the UK, was called to the Foreign Office in response to recent political developments in Tbilisi. According to a statement from the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, a senior British official "made clear the UK's firm position on Georgia's increasingly harmful trajectory and strongly objected to false claims and public attacks launched by Georgian Dream against the UK and international partners."
"The imprisonment of prominent opposition leaders is the latest attempt by the Georgian government to crack down on freedoms and stifle dissent," said a Foreign Office spokesperson. "The detention of election rivals is incompatible with any remaining Euro-Atlantic aspirations held by Georgian Dream as well as their own constitutional commitments."
The spokesperson also issued a warning: "The British government will not hesitate to consider further action should Georgia not return to respecting and upholding democracy, freedoms, and human rights."
The Foreign Office's response follows the sentencing of six opposition figures in Georgia, who were jailed for several months after refusing to appear before a parliamentary investigative commission. The opposition has long rejected the Georgian Dream-led parliament's legitimacy.
Since December 2024, the UK has already imposed sanctions on several high-ranking Georgian officials. These include former Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri, senior judges implicated in corruption, and former Prosecutor General Giorgi Gabitashvili. The measures were introduced in response to violent protest crackdowns and allegations of serious institutional misconduct.
The diplomatic escalation follows a recent meeting between UK Ambassador Gareth Ward and Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili. According to Georgia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bochorishvili raised concerns about the UK's recent actions, including the sanctions, which she claimed "cast a shadow over the strategic partnership and friendship" between the two countries.
Commenting on the latest developments, United National Movement Chair Tina Bokuchava said the UK's summoning of the chargé d'affaires confirms that sanctions against Bidzina Ivanishvili and his allies are actively being considered.
"We had already been discussing the fact that the United Kingdom is actively considering the imposition of financial sanctions on Bidzina Ivanishvili, corrupt individuals, and propagandists - and now we can clearly see that this is the case," Bokuchava said.
She emphasized that the UK's recent actions suggest a clear readiness to target Ivanishvili personally, along with those in his inner circle.
"Just last week, when we were at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and had a bilateral meeting with the UK delegation, we discussed that the United Kingdom is actively considering imposing financial sanctions on Bidzina Ivanishvili and his entourage - including corrupt figures, propagandists, and in particular, the chief propagandist Irakli Rukhadze. Now, based on the facts, we can see this is indeed the case," Bokuchava stated.
She said, "The UK has confirmed that it is considering all measures in response to the anti-democratic steps taken by the Ivanishvili regime. Of course, this clearly implies the enforcement of financial sanctions targeting Ivanishvili personally and those around him."
