- Georgia’s state legislature passed a law on first reading that would require media outlets and nonprofit organizations to register as being under foreign influence if they receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad.
- Critics have compared the law to a Russian law targeting dissidents and say the law could hinder Georgia’s European Union aspirations.
- Georgian President Salome Zurabichvili will be able to veto the law if it passes parliament on third reading, but the ruling party can override the veto by gathering 76 votes. .
On first reading, Georgia’s state legislature voted to approve a bill that would require media outlets and nonprofit organizations to register as foreign-influenced if they receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad.
Opponents say the proposal will hamper Georgia’s long-awaited prospects for joining the European Union. They denounce it as a “Russian law” as Moscow uses similar laws to stigmatize independent media outlets and organizations seen as being at odds with the Kremlin. .
“If adopted, Georgia will be on a par with Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus and other countries where human rights are trampled. Georgia’s path to Europe will be destroyed,” Georgian Center for Strategic Analysis said. said founder Giorgi Lucadze.
Georgian parliament descends into chaos as lawmakers lash out over Putin-style ‘foreign agent’ bill
Georgian President Salome Zurabichvili will be able to veto the law if it passes parliament on third reading, but the ruling party can override the veto by gathering 76 votes. . It can then be signed into law by the Speaker of Congress.
Police are seen blocking demonstrators from gathering outside the parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on April 16, 2024. Georgia’s parliament passed a first reading to approve a bill that would require media and non-profit organizations to register as being under foreign influence. If more than 20% of the funds are received from abroad. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)
The bill is almost identical to a proposal that the ruling party was under pressure to withdraw last year after massive street protests. Police in the capital Tbilisi used tear gas on Tuesday to break up a large demonstration in front of parliament.
The only change in language from the previous bill is that nonprofit organizations and news organizations that receive 20% or more of their funding from foreign sources must register as “promoting the interests of a foreign power.” The previous bill described them as “agents of foreign influence.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Zaza Bibilashvili of the civil society group Cavchavadze Center said voting on the law was an “existential choice”.
He suggested an iron curtain would be erected between Georgia and the EU, a way to “put Georgia in Russia’s sphere of influence and keep it away from Europe.”
