Zurab Makharadze (Makharadze) is a media personality associated with Alt-Info and is one of the most vocal supporters of violence against peaceful demonstrators and marginalized Georgians. He directly encouraged violence against minority groups and journalists online prior to the violent attacks on marginalized communities and helped to direct, organize, and fundraise for the anti-human rights violence in 2021 and 2023. During the attacks, he led a group to clear out protestors from in front of the Georgian parliament and then instructed followers to go with Morgoshia to attack the non-governmental organization offices. Morgoshia and Makharadze are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13818 for being foreign persons who are responsible for or complicit in, or have directly or indirectly engaged in, serious human rights abuse.
On December 23, 2016, the President signed the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (Pub. L. 114-328, Title XII, Subtitle F) (the “Act”) into law. The Act authorized the President to impose targeted sanctions on any foreign person the President determines is, among other things, responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture, or other gross violations of internationally recognized human rights, or a government official, or a senior associate of such an official, responsible for, or complicit in, ordering, controlling, or otherwise directing, acts of significant corruption.
On December 20, 2017, the President, invoking the authority of, inter alia, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701-1706) (IEEPA), issued Executive Order 13818 (82 FR 60839, December 26, 2017) (E.O. 13818), effective at 12:01 a.m. eastern standard time on December 21, 2017.
In E.O. 13818, the President determined that serious human rights abuse and corruption around the world constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States and declared a national emergency to deal with that threat.
OFAC is issuing the Global Magnitsky Sanctions Regulations, 31 CFR part 583 (the “Regulations”), to implement the Act and E.O. 13818, pursuant to authorities delegated to the Secretary of the Treasury in E.O. 13818. A copy of E.O. 13818 appears in appendix A to this part.
