At an extraordinary session of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights, MEP Nacho Sánchez Amor urged the European Commission and the EU High Representative to recommend personal sanctions against Georgian officials to the European Council.

Sánchez Amor emphasized that the central takeaway from the European Parliament’s recent fact-finding mission to Georgia, held from March 26 to 28, was a unanimous call for individual sanctions in response to ongoing human rights concerns.

“It was a universal claim in every meeting we had: the only leverage we have is personal sanctions,” Sánchez Amor stated. “The only thing they care about is their businesses and enjoyment of the democratic life of our countries, where their kids are studying in our universities. Why are we so timid in using the tools we’ve already approved?”

He criticized the EU’s reluctance to apply its existing human rights sanctions framework, noting that while the legal mechanisms are in place, they are underutilized in cases involving countries with documented rights violations.

The session also featured testimonies from Georgian public figures, including writer Lasha Bughadze, filmmaker Beka Korshia, and activist Keti Kerashvili, who addressed the state of human rights and democratic freedoms in Georgia.