Georgia

A 'foreign agent' bill reminiscent of a controversial law passed in Russia has triggered protests in Tbilisi.

But Salome Zourabichvili, the president of Georgia, addressed demonstrators and assured them of her support. He has also accused Georgia’s “radical opposition” of stirring up protesters to commit “unprecedented violence” during Tuesday’s rallies, according to Georgian news agencies. “A large part of independent media in Georgia gets outside support. At least 66 people were arrested on Tuesday evening as The draft law “On Transparency of Foreign Influence” officially targets the disclosure of money flows from abroad, but critics feared it was a way for the government to crack down on opposing voices. Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi, for a second consecutive day to protest against a controversial “foreign agents” draft law.

Thousands of people staged a second straight day of protests in the Georgian capital Tbilisi on Wednesday, rallying against a "foreign agents" law which ...

Critics say Georgian Dream is too close to Russia and has taken the country in a more repressive direction. We want Georgia to be in the European Union, and I am sure it will be," he said in a video address. Critics, including President Salome Zourabichvili, say it is reminiscent of a law Russia has used to crack down on dissent and could harm Georgia's chances of European Union membership. "We want to be in the European Union, and we will be. Unlike clashes on Tuesday night, there were no signs of demonstrators throwing petrol bombs or stones, although at least one police car was overturned. Register for free to Reuters and know the full story

Crowds return to Georgia's capital after riot police broke up a protest against a Russian-style law.

More than 80% of Georgia's population supports Georgia's European perspective, which is also enshrined in the country's constitution. It suggests they are acting in the interest of foreign forces rather than doing good for the country and society. The party has applied to the Council of Europe for its opinion. Georgian Dream chairman Irakli Kobakhidze said criticism of the draft law as similar to Russia's own repressive legislation was misleading. However, the government in Tbilisi has adopted a neutral stance, refusing to openly back Ukraine or impose sanctions on Russia. Ruling party Georgian Dream maintains the legislation dates back to US legislation in the 1930s.

Thousands are protesting a controversial draft law which critics say limits press freedom and civil liberties.

It suggests they are acting in the interest of foreign forces rather than doing good for the country and society. More than 80% of Georgia's population supports Georgia's European perspective, which is also enshrined in the country's constitution. Speaking via video during a visit to New York on Tuesday, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili voiced her support for the protesters: "I am by your side. Georgia, which sees its future in Europe, will not allow anyone to take away this future." "The law is Russian as we all know... There has been widespread international condemnation of the bill.

Protests and clashes with police have broken out in Georgia after parliament gave preliminary approval to a bill on "foreign agents".

The ruling party, which says it wants Georgia to join the European Union, has criticized opponents of the bill for targeting the Georgian Orthodox Church, which is one of the most influential institutions in the country. Protesters feared that the new bill would affect the South Caucasus country’s chances of becoming a member of the European Union. If passed, the law will require any organization that receives more than 20% of its funding from abroad to register with a «foreign agent» registry.

The U.S. has compared the bill, which puts more restrictions on some media and rights groups, to a draconian Russian law used to harass activists.

Georgia also [slipped sharply on a major press freedom index](https://civil.ge/archives/488589) over the past two years. “The war in Ukraine opened Georgian wounds again,” he said. [Former Georgian president Saakashvili ends 50-day prison hunger strike after transfer to military hospital](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/11/20/georgia-mikheil-saakashvili-prison-hospital/?itid=lk_interstitial_manual_43) [veto the law](https://twitter.com/Zourabichvili_S/status/1633249618568814603?s=20) if it cleared Parliament. “Now it is clear why the United States is not yet in the European Union — this law has been in force there since 1938,” she wrote on Telegram. Foreign Agents Registration Act](https://www.justice.gov/nsd-fara) targets lobbyists and politicians acting on behalf of a foreign state. He said that his administration was pro-European, but that Georgia had the “sovereign” right to decide on its laws. Seventy-six of 113 lawmakers voted in support of the bill at its first hearing on Tuesday, according to Agenda. [a statement Wednesday](https://police.ge/en/15699), the Interior Ministry said 66 people were arrested, while 50 members of security forces suffered injuries. Authorities used water cannons and tear gas to disperse protesters, some of whom threw stones and petrol bombs, [Reuters reported](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/parliament-georgia-gives-initial-approval-foreign-agents-law-2023-03-07/). “This law will annul decades-long attempts to get closer to the European family and isolate Georgia from Western political allies,” Dzandzava said. “They want to limit our freedom, but they are going against our constitution.”

Crowds return to Georgia's capital after riot police broke up a protest against a Russian-style law.

It suggests they are acting in the interest of foreign forces rather than doing good for the country and society. The party has applied to the Council of Europe for its opinion. "We are standing with the people of Georgia and the aspirations that they have." However, the government in Tbilisi has adopted a neutral stance, refusing to openly back Ukraine or impose sanctions on Russia. Georgian Dream chairman Irakli Kobakhidze said criticism of the draft law as similar to Russia's own repressive legislation was misleading. Ruling party Georgian Dream maintains the legislation dates back to US legislation in the 1930s.

The country, which won its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, has long been playing a balancing act between its citizens' pro-European sentiment and ...

The law was initially passed in 2012 amid a wave of public protests over allegations of election-rigging and Vladimir Putin’s intentions to return to the Russian presidency. It would also hamper Georgia’s bid to join the European Union. Russia-aligned Belarus has had a citizenship law in place since 2002 that has a similar impact. All of them are alienating us from Europe,” Zourabichvili said in the clip on Tuesday. “They threaten to marginalize and discredit critical voices in the country. The bill must pass further readings to become law. Gogia said the legislation is similar to the law in Russia in that it is “trying to create a special status and legal regime for organizations and media that receive foreign funding and – under the disguise of transparency – interferes with freedom of associations and media and with their legitimate functions.” “I hope the Georgian authorities would heed to the warning and instead of passing the bills that would clearly impede the work of independent groups and media, they should ensure safe and enabling environment for civil society in the country.” For Gogia, the bills represent a clear threat to human rights in Georgia. “Under the disguise of transparency, the latest statements by the Georgian authorities strongly suggest that if adopted, the law will be weaponized to further stigmatize and penalize independent groups, media and critical voices in the country.” The second bill expands the scope of “agents of foreign influence” to include individuals and increases the penalties for failure to comply from fines to up to five years in prison. [erupted in Georgia](https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/07/europe/georgia-foreign-agents-bill-intl/index.html) this week after the country’s parliament passed the first reading of a draft law that would require some organizations receiving foreign funding to register as “foreign agents.”

Thousands of people staged a second straight day of protests in the Georgian capital Tbilisi on Wednesday, rallying outside parliament against a "foreign ...

Georgian Dream Chairman Irakli Kobakhidze on Wednesday said the law would help root out those working against the interests of the country and the powerful Georgian Orthodox Church. The U.S. She also pledged to veto the bill if it reached her desk, though parliament can override her. The ruling Georgian Dream party say it is modelled on U.S. The interior ministry said 77 people had been detained. legislation dating from the 1930s.

Georgia's Parliament on Tuesday evening gave initial backing to the law, which opponents say is inspired by similar Russian legislation and would require ...

Riot police used water cannon and pepper spray to disperse protesters in front of the parliament building, with some in the crowd shouting "down with the ...

It also voiced concerns that there are those who want to bring the conflict into Georgia. The Georgian Justice Ministry has said that this move would help to expose "agents of foreign influence" in the country. He said that our country will be better if Ukraine wins in this war and he has to help Ukraine." Georgian authorities have tried to stop volunteers from Georgia leaving for Ukraine, saying that this would directly draw the country into the conflict. Opponents of the law condemn it as an attempt to mimic Russia's own crackdown on freedom of speech and a sign that Moscow's influence was growing. She could see that he was preoccupied and stressed.

Riot police used water cannon and pepper spray to disperse protesters in front of the parliament building, with some in the crowd shouting "down with the ...

It also voiced concerns that there are those who want to bring the conflict into Georgia. The Georgian Justice Ministry has said that this move would help to expose "agents of foreign influence" in the country. He said that our country will be better if Ukraine wins in this war and he has to help Ukraine." Georgian authorities have tried to stop volunteers from Georgia leaving for Ukraine, saying that this would directly draw the country into the conflict. Opponents of the law condemn it as an attempt to mimic Russia's own crackdown on freedom of speech and a sign that Moscow's influence was growing. She could see that he was preoccupied and stressed.

Georgian police fired water cannon and tear gas at thousands of protesters, ordering them to disperse as they rallied against a planned "foreign agent" law ...

I think the Georgian government wants the same," she said. "We, young people, are here to protect our everything." "I know what's happening in Moscow. In response to the unfurling situation, Washington urged the government to show "restraint" and allow peaceful protests, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for "democratic success" in "friendly Georgia". The protesters are demanding authorities drop the bill on "transparency of foreign funding," which critics say mirrors a law used in Russia to force media and dissenting groups to shut down. Massive crowds gathered in front of the parliament building in central Tbilisi, holding EU and Georgian flags, and chanting "no to the Russian law", an AFP correspondent saw.

Grigory Karasin, a former diplomat representing Russia in informal talks with Georgia, and the Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova b.

- 03/03/2023 – According to Ardzinba, the goal of this purported coup would be to launch a “second front” in the South Caucasus. It is now clear why the USA is not yet in the European Union – there this law has been in effect since 1938,” she

Following criticism that the law was similar to Russian legislation that has been used to stifle dissent, the country's ruling party said it would withdraw ...

We want Moldova to be in the European Union, and I am sure it will be there. We want Georgia to be in the European Union, and I am sure it will be there. “We want to be in the European Union and we will be there. [A comparable 2012 law in Russia](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jul/02/russia-register-foreign-agent-ngos) has been used to suppress western-funded NGOs and media. Many Georgians back Ukraine in its war against Russia and the latest [polls](https://www.iri.org/news/iri-georgia-poll-finds-strong-support-for-eu-membership-disapproval-of-russian-presence-distrust-in-political-parties/) show 85% of Georgians support EU membership. It cited the need to reduce “confrontation” in society.

Government says it has decided to 'unconditionally withdraw' controversial law after huge demonstrations broke out in Tbilisi.

The statement continued: “As the emotional background subsides, we will better explain to the public what the bill was for and why it was important to ensure transparency of foreign influence in our country. Russia on Thursday expressed its “concern” about the situation in Georgia. Those demonstrations turned violent in late November 2013 when riot police attacked peaceful protesters in Kyiv’s Independence Square; then in February 2014, snipers opened fire and killed dozens of Ukrainians. [asking](https://www.interpressnews.ge/en/article/124296-according-to-the-decision-of-civil-activists-today-the-rally-on-rustaveli-avenue-will-still-be-held-at-1900) the ruling Georgian Dream to release the protesters who have been arrested, and demanding “clarity” about how precisely they intended to withdraw the law. [post on Twitter](https://twitter.com/EUinGeorgia/status/1633718652229828609), the EU delegation to Georgia welcomed the announcement, adding: “We encourage all political leaders in Georgia to resume pro-EU reforms, in an inclusive & constructive way and in line with the 12 priorities for Georgia to achieve candidate status.” But the party, along with its ruling coalition partners, added that a “machine of lies was able to present the bill in a negative light and mislead a certain part of the public.”

Georgia's ruling party has announced it will withdrawal of a controversial "foreign influence" bill following two nights of widespread protests in Tbilisi ...

“Under the disguise of transparency, the latest statements by the Georgian authorities strongly suggest that if adopted, the law will be weaponized to further stigmatize and penalize independent groups, media and critical voices in the country.” “They threaten to marginalize and discredit critical voices in the country. A Tuesday statement from the EU warned that the law would be “incompatible with EU values and standards” and could have “serious repercussions” on the group’s relations with Georgia. The second expanded the scope of “agents of foreign influence” to include individuals and increases the penalties for failure to comply from fines to up to five years in prison. “The participants of the rally violated the public order and law and order throughout the night at different locations and resisted the police officers,” the statement read. Asked on a press briefing if the Russian law had inspired the Georgian bill, Peskov said the Kremlin has “nothing to do with this” and pointed to legislation against so-called foreign agents in the US.

The thousands of protestors who descended on the streets of capital Tbilisi likened the bill to a decades-old law in Russia used to target critics and ...

[Human Rights Watch](https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/03/08/dark-day-georgias-democracy) said it saw no “reason” for the use of force against “peaceful” protesters. It also added that the demonstrators indulged in “illegal” acts, referring to the violence in this week’s protests. Georgia’s president, Salome Zurabishvili, also opposed the bill and said she would veto it. “This is definitely a positive thing that the government changed their mind, it is just unfortunate that this had to happen through the demonstration of power,” Vakho Pavlenishvili, a protester, said. Georgian opposition leaders said Wednesday that there was no technical procedure to withdraw a bill after it had passed the first reading and that it would have to be voted down in a subsequent ballot later this month. “We encourage all political leaders in GE to resume pro-EU reforms, in an inclusive & constructive way and in line with the 12 priorities for Georgia to achieve candidate status,” the bloc said in a “Of course it’s a victory, but it’s an intermediate victory,” Gigi Ugulava, the former mayor of Tbilisi, told independent Russian television station Dozhd. The ruling government, led by Prime Minister Irakly Garibashvili of the Dream party, has routinely clashed with Western officials who have expressed concern over the country’s democratic backsliding. The E.U. “Now it is very important to follow up on this progress and change the way this government approaches people. So right now we are wondering if this is a trick,” he added. The party said it would organize meetings to explain the rationale behind the bill once the tension had died down.

Georgia's ruling party has announced it was halting plans to introduce a controversial "foreign agent" bill after mass rallies against the legislation seen ...

I think the Georgian government wants the same," she said. "We will not allow them to make Russia define our future," she told AFP. "I know what's happening in Moscow. The protesters demanded authorities drop the bill on "transparency of foreign funding," which critics said mirrors a law used in Russia to force media and dissenting groups to shut down. Massive crowds had gathered in front of the parliament building in central Tbilisi yesterday, holding EU and Georgian flags, and chanting "no to the Russian law". Ruling party Georgian Dream said in a statement the bill had been "represented in a bad light and in a misleading way," adding that it would launch public consultations to "better explain" the law's purpose after announcing its withdrawal.

The EU Delegation to Georgia has welcomed today's announcement by the Georgian ruling party 'Georgian Dream” that it would withdraw the draft legislation ...

This website is managed by the EU-funded Regional Communication Programme for the Eastern Neighbourhood ('EU NEIGHBOURS east’), which complements and supports the communication of the Delegations of the European Union in the Eastern partner countries, and works under the guidance of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, and the European External Action Service. It is part of the larger Neighbourhood Communication Programme (2020-2024) for the EU's Eastern and Southern Neighbourhood, which also includes 'EU NEIGHBOURS south’ project that runs the [said](https://euneighbourseast.eu/news/latest-news/new-law-on-transparency-of-foreign-influence-is-a-very-bad-development-for-georgia-says-eu/) the law was incompatible with EU values and standards and goes against Georgia’s stated objective of joining the European Union, adding that this is “a very bad development for Georgia and its people”.

Georgia's ruling party has withdrawn a controversial bill from parliament after two nights of protests against the proposed law, whose critics say marked a ...

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Ruling lawmakers in the South Caucasus country of Georgia on Thursday scrapped plans to introduce what critics called a Russian-inspired "foreign agents" ...

- The opposition has called for a new protest starting at 7 p.m. ... If I understand it correctly, one version was very similar to an equivalent law in the United States," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Its founder Bidzina Ivanishvili is Georgia's richest man, having amassed his fortune in Russia during the chaotic privatisations of the 1990s. Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, a former French diplomat who wants to steer the country closer to Europe, said she would veto it - though parliament could have overruled her. The two countries have no formal diplomatic relations. 1938 "Foreign Agents Registration Act", which primarily covers lobbyists and organisations directly working for or under the control of foreign governments.

After two nights of violent clashes with riot police in Tbilisi, Georgian protestors won a victory Thursday when the ruling party announced it was ...

Azerbaijan, with Turkey’s support, seized much of the land around Nagorno-Karabakh in a 2020 war and now wants to form a route across Armenia connecting Azerbaijan directly to Turkey through the south. Putin will want to ensure that Georgia’s Maidan moment doesn’t end as Ukraine’s did, with the capitulation of a pro-Moscow government. But the law has provided a potent indication of the ruling party’s intentions and suggests there will be more to come. In Georgia, the law demonstrates the true colors of a government that has often professed to be pro-western while cozying up to Putin. In 2020, a caucus of US Congressmen bluntly declared him “a close ally of Putin and involved in destabilizing Georgia on Russia’s behalf.” Meanwhile, the 55-year-old Saakashvili, who spent time in Ukraine as an exile and was jailed in Georgia after his return, is currently on a hunger strike and in failing health, with doctors saying he was tortured in custody. Georgia isn’t the only part of the strategic South Caucasus that is being destabilized with Russian help or acquiescence. The US established a “Strategic Partnership” agreement; the EU concluded an association agreement in 2014, and a free trade agreement. Soon after Putin’s invasion of Georgia, Barack Obama came to office promising a Russian “reset,” reinforcing a sense of geostrategic limbo in Georgia that continued through the Trump years. The war resulted in brutal ethnic cleansing of Georgians in those regions and a strategic victory for Putin, whose forces currently occupy about 20% of the nation’s territory. The law apes one in Russia that passed in 2012 to severely constrain human rights, media, and civil society organization. After two nights of violent clashes with riot police in Tbilisi, Georgian protestors won a victory Thursday when the ruling party announced it was withdrawing the proposal cracking down on civil-society groups and the media, which sparked the demonstrations. The irony of Georgia’s plight today is that Putin’s Ukraine campaign can be said to have started then, when he found a pretext to launch an invasion in 2008 on behalf of separatists in the self-declared republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Georgians harbor deeply rooted animosity towards its Russian neighbor, while their government maintains pragmatic relations with Moscow.

Furthermore, the United States and NATO should be wary of any attempts to supplant the Russian military presence in Georgia with one of their own, given the clear refusal by Moscow to accept such a dynamic on its southern flank. Progress on political reform and economic development in Georgia is something the West should encourage and support for its own sake. For the United States, it will be crucial to remember that NATO was not willing to defend Georgia in 2008 and it is highly probable that the South Caucasus nation will not be joining the Alliance’s ranks any time soon, thereby guaranteeing it so-called Article 5 security. As one Georgian peace builder born in Abkhazia told me, the invasion of Ukraine was a very emotional period for Georgians as it recalled the trauma which they had experienced, especially at the hands of Russians. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, thousands of Georgian citizens poured onto the streets of Tbilisi and other cities to show their support for Kyiv and their frustration with their own government’s policy towards Moscow. In addition, the ruling elite have often directly confronted the Ukrainian government, most recently over the return of [Buk missile systems](https://jam-news.net/ukraine-georgia-row-over-defense-system/) as well as Ukrainian President Volodimyr Zelensky’s pleas for Saakashvili’s [release from jail](https://www.interpressnews.ge/en/article/123123-irakli-kobakhidze-on-zelenskys-statement-the-ukrainian-government-was-directly-involved-in-the-special-operation-to-send-saakashvili-to-georgia-he-also-has-his-share-of-responsibility-towards-saakashvili/). However, it is important to note that Moscow had the opportunity to march its troops all the way to Tbilisi as well as to annex (and not only recognize) the territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, but chose against such a course of action, casting some doubt on the initial characterization of Putin’s ambitions of taking territory in the former Soviet space. [widely believed](https://ecfr.eu/publication/broken-dream-the-oligarch-russia-and-georgias-drift-from-europe/) to be ruled behind the scenes by the oligarch. From the mid-1990s up until the war in 2008, reconciliation of ethnic differences was viewed as the key to resolving the question of these breakaway territories. In late 1990, following parliamentary elections in Tbilisi which resulted in victory for the Round Table–Free Georgia coalition led by Zviad Gamsakhurdia, whose speeches had included strongly anti-Ossete remarks, the regional assembly of South Ossetia declared its own “sovereignty” (which, in this context, meant somewhere between enhanced autonomy and independence). The result was a fierce reaction from Tbilisi, which revoked South Ossetian autonomy and dispatched police and nationalist militias to the territory. Then-Prime Minister of Russia Vladimir Putin even threatened to hang then-President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili “ [by the balls](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-putin-georgia-idUSTRE4B352V20081204).”