Estonia sanctions Georgian premier over protest crackdown 

Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna delivers remarks at the Freedom Online Coalition Ministerial Event in New York City on Sept. 23, 2024. FILE - Law enforcement officers fire tear gas canisters as fireworks explode during a protest against the new government's decision to suspend the European Union accession talks and refuse budgetary grants until 2028, in Tbilisi, Dec. 2, 2024.

Estonia has sanctioned more than a dozen top Georgian officials including its prime minister over Tbilisi's "criminal" crackdown on pro-European protesters, Tallinn's foreign minister said on Sunday. Georgia's authorities have drawn widespread criticism for their handling of demonstrators, who accuse the ruling party of eroding democracy and seeking to bring the ex-Soviet country back into the embrace of former master Russia.