Coalition for Change's Zurab Japaridze: Sanction on GD Honorary Chair quite severe but with exceptions
Coalition for Change's Zurab Japaridze: Sanction on GD Honorary Chair quite severe but with exceptions

“The sanction is quite severe, it is about blocking both assets and transactions, but what I have seen are exceptions, for example, it does not apply to members of Ivanishvili’s family and his companies,” said Zurab Japaridze, one of the leaders of the Coalition for Change.

According to Japaridze, the imposition of sanctions on the GD founder and honorary chair is the outcome of one-month-long public protests in central Tbilisi and other cities.

Zurab Japaridze remarked that the imposition of sanction left him an impression that the US “gave a certain exit” to Ivanishvili and signals him of further and possible aggravation of sanctions.

“If I were inside the Georgian Drean, I would be seriously scared of possible outcomes. If sanctions reached Ivanishvili, they could extend to anybody. I don’t think any of them would wish their children to study in Grozny or St. Petersburg. There people make money to go for holidays, and entertainment in the West and send their children to receive education.

The sense of sanctions is that you become an outcast, no one shakes hands with you, or take a photo with you in a civilized community. All this is a merit of ongoing protests at Rustaveli. We fight for freedom and we enjoy support from the West. Nobody will win our war but us. Protests will continue until we win,” he said.

On December 27, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed financial sanctions on Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder and honorary chairman of the Georgian Dream (GD) party.