Georgia Withdraws 'Foreign Agents' Bill after massive protests
- In Reports
- 06:45 PM, Mar 09, 2023
- Myind Staff
After two nights of violent protests, Georgia's ruling party on Thursday said that it was dropping a bill on "foreign agents" amid criticism that the draft was inspired by a Russian law and represented an authoritarian shift.
The Georgian Dream ruling party said in a statement it would "unconditionally withdraw the bill we supported, without any reservations". It cited the need to reduce "confrontation" in society, while also denouncing "lies" told about the bill by the "radical opposition".
This new law unleashed massive protests in the country which were followed by clashes between the authorities and demonstrators. Georgian authorities have used tear gas and water cannon outside the parliament building in the capital to control the demonstrations.
The draft law requires any organisations receiving more than 20% of their funding from overseas to register as "foreign agents" or face substantial fines.
Government officials said the proposals were necessary to root out "foreign influence" and "spies" from Georgia's political scene, arguing that Georgians had the right to know who funds non-government organisations working there.
According to the critics of the foreign agents bill, the new legislation has been seen as similar to Russian legislation that has been used to stifle dissent. The critics also claimed that the bill could hinder Georgia’s aspirations to join NATO and the European Union.
The new foreign agents bill received initial approval, however, later the same bill faced criticism from media outlets and non-governmental organisations. International organisations have voiced concern over the draft law, saying it runs against Georgia’s democratic development.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday called for "democratic success" in Georgia after the bill triggered massive protests in the country.
"There is no Ukrainian who would not wish success to our friendly Georgia. Democratic success. European success," Zelensky said in his evening address to the nation.
Image source: Reuters
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