**US Senate to Consider Sanctions Bill Against Georgian Government**
The US Senate is set to consider the MEGOBARI Act, a bipartisan bill that aims to sanction Georgian government officials for human rights abuses and undermining democracy. The Senate Foreign Affairs Committee will take up the legislation early next week.
**House Version Gaining Support**
Meanwhile, the House version of the bill is gaining more support each day. Introduced by Joe Wilson and Steve Cohen in January this year, it has 18 co-sponsors backing the legislation as of this week. The bill was first introduced on May 23 last year in the US House of Representatives.
**Sanctions Against GD Officials**
The MEGOBARI Act outlines sanctions against Georgian authorities for massive human rights abuses and democratic backsliding. It also mandates US government agencies to report to Congress on Russian intelligence assets and sanctions evasion activities in Georgia.
**Support for Democracy**
The legislation highlights the Georgian Dream government’s increasingly hostile stance toward Western partners and civil society, coupled with a policy of accommodation toward Moscow. The act envisages US support for Georgia’s democratic development through democracy monitoring, security assistance, and potential economic incentives tied to democratic progress.
**Georgia’s Relations at an All-Time Low**
Advancement of the bill comes as Georgia’s relations with the United States and the European Union remain at an all-time low. The ruling Georgian Dream party continues to sit alone in a rump parliament, with its honorary chairman, Bidzina Ivanishvili, sanctioned by the US administration for undermining democracy and acting for the benefit of Moscow.
**GD Government Suspends EU Accession Process**
The Georgian Dream government suspended the EU accession process in late November 2024 and forcefully dispersed pro-EU protests. GD officials, including Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri and Deputy Head of the Special Tasks Department Mirza Kezevadze, were sanctioned for their roles in violent crackdowns of the protests.
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