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Georgia: Demonstration against the law against “foreign agents”

Georgia: Demonstration against the law against “foreign agents”

Georgia

The law against “foreign agents” sparked massive protests

A new law has sent thousands of people onto the streets in Georgia. The bill is reminiscent of a Russian law from 2012. The president supports the opposition.

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Thousands of people took to the streets when Parliament approved the Foreign Agents Act on first reading.

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  • In Georgia, organizations that fund more than 20 percent of foreign funds must be registered as “foreign agents.”

  • Parliament in the capital, Tbilisi, approved the bill on first reading.

  • Thousands demonstrated against the project and got support from the Georgian president.

In Georgia, thousands of people are against Legislative draft They demonstrated against “foreign agents”, which they believe aim to intimidate the media and NGOs. As seen in images from the independent TV station Pirelli, protesters gathered in front of Parliament in Tbilisi on the Tuesday after the last. controversial law Agreed on the first reading. The police used tear gas and water cannon against the crowd.

According to Pirelli TV, the protests had previously been largely peaceful. At least one participant threw a Molotov cocktail at police officers.

Today you represent free Georgia.

The new law states that organizations that are funded by more than 20 percent with funds from abroad must register with so-called foreign agents. Otherwise, they will face penalties. The bill is reminiscent of a law passed in Russia in 2012. The Kremlin has used this extensively to crack down on media outlets and organizations critical of the government or other critics.

Parliament in the Georgian capital passed a bill on “foreign agents” in first reading.

IMAGO / ITAR-TASS / Sipa USA

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili supported the demonstrators in Tbilisi. And she said during a state visit to New York: “Today you represent a free Georgia that sees its future in Europe and that will not allow anyone to steal that future.” She demanded the president drop the bill and declared a veto against it. However, since the ruling party, Georgian Dream, has an absolute majority in parliament, it can lift this veto.

‘Gloomy day for Georgian democracy’

The tiny ex-Soviet republic of Georgia is already striving accession to the European Union and NATO. Recently, however, several government actions have raised fears that the country is turning to Russia. On Tuesday, after the passage of the first reading of the “Foreign Agents” law, the US Embassy in Georgia said it was “a gloomy day for Georgian democracy.” If the government in Tbilisi sticks to the plan, it will damage relations “with its strategic partners”.

A few days after the Russian attack on Ukraine, Georgia, along with Ukraine and Moldova, applied for membership in the European Union. In June, EU leaders granted Kiev and Chişinău official candidate status but said Tbilisi had to implement a series of reforms first.

Plans to join NATO and the European Union are enshrined in the Georgian constitution. According to opinion polls, at least 80 percent of the population supports them.

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(ap/jar)View comments