Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the evidence used by the US in its designation of Bidzina Ivanishvili; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of applying sanctions on people linked to the repression of (a) civil society, (b) independent media and (c) political oppression in Georgia.

The UK remains resolute in our support for civil society, independent media and democratic freedoms in Georgia. Legislation introduced by the Georgian Government over recent years continues to target non-governmental organisations, opposition leaders and independent voices. We are monitoring developments closely and working with international partners. The UK has imposed targeted sanctions on senior Interior Ministry figures responsible for violent attacks on protesters, judges for abusing their positions, and high-ranking officials for enabling serious human rights violations. I cannot comment on potential future sanctions designations, as doing so could undermine their effectiveness.