Washington, 27 December 2024 (dpa/MIA) - The United States has imposed sanctions on the founder and honorary chairman of the Georgian Dream party, Bidzina Ivanishvili, in the latest blow for the Russia-friendly ruling party.

"His actions have enabled human rights abuses and undermined the democratic and European future of the Georgian people for the benefit of the Russian Federation," US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on Friday.

The billionaire Ivanishvili is at the centre of growing tensions in Georgia following the parliamentary elections in October.

Indications of irregularities in the election and the government's announcement that it would freeze the country's EU accession process until 2028 triggered mass protests in which many demonstrators were injured and several hundred arrested.

The police have been accused of violence and torture.

The sanctions against Ivanishvili are the latest in a series of measures imposed by the US and other countries against the leadership of Georgia, which was long considered a close ally of the European Union and NATO.

The EU itself has failed to impose planned sanctions because of resistance from Hungary and Slovakia.

The US sanctions freeze any assets held by the individuals in the US and prohibit them from doing business with US citizens or people operating in the country, making international business much more difficult.