Five Georgian Interior Ministry officials, who were sanctioned by the West for their role in the violent suppression of pro-European protests, will be decorated with the highest state honors, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said on Friday.
For the past three weeks, Georgians have protested daily in response to the government's announcement that it was suspending talks to join the European Union - a long-standing and widely supported national goal - until 2028.
Officials to be decorated include Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri and the heads of the ministry's Special Operations Department, who are accused of orchestrating the beatings of opposition politicians and journalists. The United States and Great Britain imposed sanctions on them on Thursday.
Minister Gomelauri, a former bodyguard of billionaire ex-prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, who is considered the main leader in Georgia, was also promoted to the post of deputy prime minister on Friday.
Police used water cannons and tear gas against the protesters. Georgia's government accused protesters of trying to foment a revolution and says more than 150 police officers have been injured in clashes with protesters, who threw fireworks in their direction.
Georgia was considered one of the most democratic and pro-Western countries to emerge from the breakup of the Soviet Union, but critics say the country has become increasingly authoritarian and has a pro-Russian orientation in recent years.
Prime Minister Kobakhidze told reporters that the government will compensate all officials who suffered financial losses due to the "unjust decision" of Western sanctions.
He said that the officials are being rewarded for the "honest actions that were taken by the representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs". A total of 11 senior officials were nominated for the Medal of Honor, one of Georgia's highest civilian decorations. VOA (A2 Televizion)
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