Brussels warns new curbs on civil society flout “European values” as protests grow in Tbilisi.
Georgian MPs approved controversial plans to brand hundreds of NGOs and media outlets as foreign agents on Tuesday, paving the way for the bill to become law despite growing domestic dissent and condemnation from the U.S. and EU.
In a vote, parliamentarians supported the proposals brought forward by the governing Georgian Dream party by 84 votes in favor and 30 against, after weeks of contentious debatethat saw several brawls break out in the assembly chamber and one senior lawmaker assaulted. Crowds gathered outside the graffiti-daubed parliament building with whistles, vuvuzelas and even hitting pots and pans in a bid to make themselves heard by the lawmakers inside.
Under the new rules, civil society groups receiving more than 20 percent of their income from abroad will be required to register as “organizations serving the interests of a foreign power,” a label that critics fear will be used to silence anti-corruption campaigners and others critical of the government.
I read that this is being called the “Russia Law” or something like that. It’s a way for Russia to reduce western influence on Georgia by paying off politicians to silence orgs that aren’t Russia-friendly.
It’s called Russia Law because it’s literally a Russian law copied verbatim
This is the best summary I could come up with:
TBILISI — Georgian MPs approved controversial plans to brand hundreds of NGOs and media outlets as foreign agents on Tuesday, paving the way for the bill to become law despite growing domestic dissent and condemnation from the U.S. and EU.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has vowed not to sign the bill as part of a growing rift with the ruling party, but her veto can be overridden by a simple majority in parliament, paving the way for it to pass into effect in the coming weeks.
Brussels gave Georgia EU candidate status in December, despite warnings that it was backsliding on key human rights issues and had failed to fully implement the reforms required by the European Commission — which included tackling political polarization.
“We kindly ask you to undertake this as a matter of priority and to make sure that this public assessment appears before the final vote at the Georgian parliament,” said the letter, which was signed by the foreign affairs ministers of Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden.
Meanwhile, in the European Parliament, MEPs representing the EPP, S&D, Greens and Renew groupings have written to Borrell urging him to prepare “targeted” sanctions against Georgian Dream politicians who pushed the foreign agents law — including Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze — as well as the MPs who voted for it.
Tens of thousands of Georgians have taken to the streets in recent weeks to protest against the bill, which campaigners have branded the “Russian law” given its similarity to rules used by Moscow to shutter civil society groups and suppress critics.
The original article contains 663 words, the summary contains 268 words. Saved 60%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
