As predicted, the Georgian parliament adopted a Russian-style “foreign agents” law on 14 May amid growing protests and police violence.
The law will make it obligatory for any media or nonprofit organization that receives more than 20% of its funding from abroad to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power.” Failure to do so would result in fines. Georgian opponents of the bill have dubbed it “the Russian law”, comparing it to legislation used to target critics of President Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin.
Ahead of the vote, Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi, saw record round-the-clock protests. Yesterday, the law was sped through the legal committee, with opposition MPs reportedly blocked from attending.
President Salome Zourabichvili is expected to veto the bill. However, the veto will likely be overridden in parliament, where the ruling Georgian Dream party holds 75 seats out of 150.
The vote comes amid criticism of Georgia’s growing Russian shift, powered by the Georgian-Russian oligarch and Georgian Dream leader Bidzina Ivanishvili. With a net worth of 32% of Georgia’s GDP, Ivanishvili holds considerable power over Georgian political and economic life, and critics have denounced the country’s growing authoritarianism.
Fw mins ago, ???????? ruling party officially became a Russian regime. After all the violence, brutal crackdowns, beating people in their homes, & finally passing the Russian law, we’re back on the streets, & our message is clear:“They tried to bury us, they didn’t know we were seeds.” pic.twitter.com/7msqYSBSBf
— Eto Buziashvili (@EtoBuziashvili) May 14, 2024
Currently, the standoff between riot police and protesters is growing: riot police use pepper spray and water cannons to disperse protesters.
Riot police begin dispersing and arresting protesters at the building of parliament in Tbilisi, Georgia, where a Russian-style "foreign agents" law has just been adopted
Protesters started breaking the barrier around parliament. Law expected to undermine Georgia's… pic.twitter.com/maU8W8PAcl
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) May 14, 2024
Georgian opinion leaders are appealing to the EU to impose sanctions on Bidzina Ivanishvili and Georgian Dream MPs amid international criticism of the law’s passage.
Our strategic partners must act decisively by imposing sanctions on Bidzina Ivanishvili and his 84 obedient MPs to send a clear message to the freedom-loving Georgian people. pic.twitter.com/5qPKMCF9mL
— Nodar Rukhadze (@xonoda) May 14, 2024
Read more about how Georgia went from the pro-EU Rose Revolution to anti-western tirades of its ruling party, Georgian Dream:
From Rose Revolution to “Russian Dream”: Georgia at breaking point with pivotal pro-EU protests
