Georgia has sent to the Venice Commission the draft law on agents of foreign influence, adopted the day before in the first reading. This was reported by Interfax with reference to the statement of Irakli Kobakhidze, chairman of the ruling party Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia.
“The connection of this draft law with obtaining the status of an EU candidate is speculation for one simple reason. We expressed maximum respect for the European institutions by sending this bill to the Venice Commission, which was what we promised from the very beginning,” Kobakhidze said.
On Tuesday, the Georgian Parliament adopted in the first reading the Georgian version of the draft law on agents of foreign influence. Thousands of protesters against the bill gathered at the parliament during the session. The situation at the protest action escalated after the support of this document by the MPs. Special Forces fired tear gas and water cannons at the protesters. As a result, at night, the security forces forced the protesters out of the territory adjacent to the parliament. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, 66 people were detained during the rally, and 50 police officers were injured during the riots.
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 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. EU representatives have repeatedly stated that the bill may prevent Georgia from obtaining the status of a candidate member of the European Union. President Salome Zurabishvili announced that she would veto the bill if 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.
Source: Rosbalt
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
