Deputies of the Georgian Parliament adopted in the first reading the draft law on agents of foreign influence. It is reported by TASS.
“76 votes for, 13 against. The bill was adopted in the first reading,” Speaker of the Parliament Shalva Papuashvili said after the voting procedure.
As Papuashvili specified, the Georgian version of the bill was adopted in the first reading. The American version will be discussed at the next meeting.
Thousands of people are protesting outside the parliament building. Rustaveli Avenue in the center of Tbilisi, where the parliament is located, is blocked. Citizens oppose the adoption of the bill, which, in their opinion, hinders Georgia’s European integration. The rally is peaceful, many are holding EU flags.
In February, two versions of the Foreign Agents Bill were registered in the Georgian parliament – the Georgian version and the American version, which is a translation of the American law on the registration of foreign agents. According to the Georgian version of the document, a legal entity with more than 20% of its funding coming from abroad should be considered an agent of foreign influence. According to the document, the media can also be a foreign agent, while the initiative does not apply to individuals. The American version applies not only to legal entities, but also to individuals, it also includes criminal liability.
The initiative has caused significant criticism from both the opposition and Western politicians due to the introduction of the concept of a foreign agent into the legislation. The President of the Republic, Salome Zurabishvili, said earlier that she would veto the bill if it was passed. At the same time, the authors of the idea, the Power of the People public movement and the leaders of the ruling Georgian Dream party, point out that the law is needed for the transparency of the work of entities financed by representatives of foreign states. As previously reported by the initiators of the bills, after the support in the first reading, they are planned to be sent to the Venice Commission for conclusion.
Source: Rosbalt
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