On April 30, the Parliament of Georgia will consider the second reading of the law on so-called “foreign agents”. This became known after today’s meeting of the Bureau of the Parliament, write the Georgian service of Radio Liberty.
On April 29, the legal committee of the parliament supported the draft law in the second reading. The head of the committee, Anri Ohanashvili, excluded from the meeting 14 opposition deputies and three representatives of public organizations, who expressed critical remarks about the document.
According to the leader of the parliamentary majority, representative of the ruling party “Georgian Dream” Mamuka Mdinaradze, consideration of the draft law in the second reading may last two or three days.
On April 17, the majority of the Parliament of Georgia approved the document in the first reading. The “Georgian Dream” party claims that the draft law aims to stimulate the transparency of non-governmental organizations and media financed from abroad.
The government’s plan is opposed by a large part of society. Mass rallies are taking place in Tbilisi and other cities of Georgia with appeals to the ruling political team to withdraw the draft law. Public organizations and opposition parties call the law “Russian” and believe that the goal of the “Georgian Dream” is to eliminate organizations that take care of the development of democracy and block the process of joining the European Union.
The European Union and the United States have repeatedly warned the Georgian authorities that the adoption of the law will negatively affect Georgia’s progress towards the European Union.
The draft law initiated by the parliamentary majority of “Georgian Dream” declares non-governmental and media organizations, whose budget is financed by more than 20% from abroad, “organizations that protect the interests of a foreign state.” They must be registered in a special register and fill out a financial declaration every year.
Non-governmental and media organizations funded by Western donors claim that their income is already declared and transparent, so the real goal of the authorities is to limit the activities of organizations that care about human rights, corruption and other important issues.
Protest action against the adoption of the law. Tbilisi, Georgia, April 28, 2024
In Tbilisi, on April 28, almost 20,000 people took to the streets to protest against the ruling party’s intention to pass a draft law on “foreign influence”. The action “March for Europe” lasted until the morning.
Although some wording was removed from the draft law after the first reading, the Georgian opposition and the country’s president, Salome Zurabishvili, claim that this does not change the essence, because all the norms are written “according to the Putni model”.
Zurabishvili said that if the law is passed, she will veto it, but warned that the ruling Georgian Dream party has enough votes to override the president’s veto.
PHOTO GALLERY: Thousands of “March for Europe” in Tbilisi against the “Putin-style law on foreign agents” (photo gallery)
Tear gas and roses… Almost 20,000 people took to the streets of the capital of Georgia on April 28, calling on the government to abandon the draft law on “foreign influence”. This is a Russian-style law, as the EU warns, will undermine Tbilisi’s European aspirations
