Georgia

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

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.”

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.”

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.

Thousands of protesters waving EU flags and chanting anti-Russian slogans are hosed down with water cannons in the Georgian capital as clashes over a ...

"I am standing in New York, and behind me is the Statue of Liberty. "Every day will be like this. "Slaves!" Georgia applied for membership to the EU in March 2022, and has been given a list of reforms by the bloc to make it eligible to join. "Russians!" Earlier in the day, the crowd had gathered outside parliament, blocking the entrances and chanting "No to Russian law!"

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 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.

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.

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

Last night in Tbilisi, Georgia, police used massive amounts of tear gas and water cannons to disperse thousands of peaceful demonstrators who spontaneously ...

As I write this, another rally is gathering in front of the parliament to protest the law. [called](https://www.facebook.com/usingeo/posts/pfbid0qkZboSC5WE9kptPDUcB4JUKFUwigBxxpeDmnSsvstjuLL6UKJkdA54jn2CQNyPerl) yesterday a “dark day” for the country’s democracy. [bill will require](https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/03/07/georgia-foreign-agents-bill-tramples-rights) nongovernmental organizations and media outlets to register as “agents of foreign influence” if they receive 20 percent of their funding from abroad.

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.