The sanctions come amid widespread protests against the Georgian government's decision to halt EU accession efforts.
The United States has granted bail to Bidzina Ivanishvili, the former prime minister of Georgia and founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, amid protests against stopping in the European Union's accession efforts.
In a statement on Friday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Ivanishvili and his party has undermined democratic institutions and “damaged Georgia's Euro-Atlantic future” to Russia's advantage.
“The actions of Ivanishvili and Georgian Dream have eroded democratic institutions, enabled human rights abuses, and restricted the exercise of fundamental freedoms in Georgia,” Blinken said.
Georgian Dream and Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced last month that they would cancel conversations on Georgia's accession to the EU until 2028.
The announcement followed a resolution by the European Parliament that had refused to recognize the results of the elections in Georgia on October 26 based on allegations of “gross irregularities”, which Kobakhidze called an act of “black mail”.
The goal of joining the EU was added to Georgia's constitution in 2017, and activists he took to the streets against attempts to cancel membership.
While Kobakhidze has said Georgia will continue to pursue EU membership with the goal of joining by 2030, protests have continued against measures taken by the ruling party that critics say are targeting civil society organizations and media freedom.
The government has responded to the widespread demonstrations with a harsh police crackdown.
The police have too prey the offices of the opposition party, and the Prime Minister has dismissed calls for a a new election.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said earlier this week that Georgian police had responded to largely peaceful protests in the capital Tbilisi with “brutal violence”.
“In widespread and apparently punitive actions, security forces have chased, violently detained and beaten protesters,” the rights group said in a December 24 statement.
“The police were also tortured and ill-treated in police vans and police stations.”
The EU has also condemned the crackdown, saying the bloc “stands with the Georgian people and their choice for a European future”.
On December 18, the US is allowed several senior officials from the Georgian Ministry of Interior whom they accused of being involved in the crackdown on the protesters.
Meanwhile, Friday's sanctions will freeze Ivanishvili's assets in the United States.
Ivanishvili and his allies in the government have repeatedly said in recent years that the billionaire was already under “de facto sanctions” by the US, something Washington had denied.
Georgian Dream did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Reuters news agency on the new sanctions.
