Georgian parliament passes 'foreign influence' bill despite protests
Published: 05:05 PM,May 14,2024 | EDITED : 09:05 PM,May 14,2024
Georgian demonstrators attempt to break into the parliament through a metal barrier, in Tbilisi. — AFP
TBILISI: Georgia's parliament on Tuesday adopted a controversial 'foreign influence' law that has sparked weeks of mass protests against the measure, which Brussels has warned would undermine Tbilisi's European aspirations.
Lawmakers voted 84 to 30 to pass in its third and final reading the law, which was widely denounced as mirroring repressive Russian legislation used to silence dissent.
The vote came as street protests continued outside the building for more than a month.
Scuffles had broken out inside the chamber earlier as opposition MPs, who strongly oppose the measure, clashed with lawmakers from the ruling Georgian Dream party ahead of the vote.
And there were also clashes between riot police and protesters outside the building in the centre of Tbilisi.
Critics say the bill is a symbol of the ex-Soviet republic's drift closer to Russia's orbit over recent years.
Around 2,000 mainly young protesters gathered outside parliament for another day of protests on Tuesday.
Tbilisi has seen weeks of mass rallies over the bill that culminated on Saturday, when up to 100,000 people took to the streets in the largest anti-government rally in Georgia's recent history.
The EU has said the law is 'incompatible' with Georgia's longstanding bid for joining the 27-nation bloc, while Washington has warned its adoption would signal Tbilisi's departure from the Western orbit.
Both protesters and Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze have vowed not to back down. Fresh rallies have been called for Tuesday evening.
The bill requires NGOs and media outlets that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as bodies 'pursuing the interests of a foreign power'.
The EU repeated on Tuesday its position that the bill undermines Tbilisi's desire to move closer to the bloc.
'EU member countries are very clear that if this law is adopted it will be a serious obstacle for Georgia in its European perspective,' said its spokesman, Peter Stano.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has vowed to veto the law, though Georgian Dream has enough MPs to override it.
Georgian Dream backed down from pushing through a similar 'foreign agents' law a year ago in the face of massive street rallies.
NGOs and government critics have reported months of intimidation and harassment in the run-up to the bill being reintroduced in a targeted campaign that has escalated amid the tensions. — AFP
Lawmakers voted 84 to 30 to pass in its third and final reading the law, which was widely denounced as mirroring repressive Russian legislation used to silence dissent.
The vote came as street protests continued outside the building for more than a month.
Scuffles had broken out inside the chamber earlier as opposition MPs, who strongly oppose the measure, clashed with lawmakers from the ruling Georgian Dream party ahead of the vote.
And there were also clashes between riot police and protesters outside the building in the centre of Tbilisi.
Critics say the bill is a symbol of the ex-Soviet republic's drift closer to Russia's orbit over recent years.
Around 2,000 mainly young protesters gathered outside parliament for another day of protests on Tuesday.
Tbilisi has seen weeks of mass rallies over the bill that culminated on Saturday, when up to 100,000 people took to the streets in the largest anti-government rally in Georgia's recent history.
The EU has said the law is 'incompatible' with Georgia's longstanding bid for joining the 27-nation bloc, while Washington has warned its adoption would signal Tbilisi's departure from the Western orbit.
Both protesters and Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze have vowed not to back down. Fresh rallies have been called for Tuesday evening.
The bill requires NGOs and media outlets that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as bodies 'pursuing the interests of a foreign power'.
The EU repeated on Tuesday its position that the bill undermines Tbilisi's desire to move closer to the bloc.
'EU member countries are very clear that if this law is adopted it will be a serious obstacle for Georgia in its European perspective,' said its spokesman, Peter Stano.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has vowed to veto the law, though Georgian Dream has enough MPs to override it.
Georgian Dream backed down from pushing through a similar 'foreign agents' law a year ago in the face of massive street rallies.
NGOs and government critics have reported months of intimidation and harassment in the run-up to the bill being reintroduced in a targeted campaign that has escalated amid the tensions. — AFP