The World Briefly

April 18, 2024

The Imitation Game

Georgia

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Georgia’s parliament passed Wednesday the first reading of a bill on “foreign agents” that critics warned could be used to stifle freedoms and move the Caucasus nation further away from its path to join the European Union, Reuters reported.

The bill, supported by the ruling Georgian Dream party, passed after 83 of 150 legislators voted in favor – while the opposition boycotted the vote. Before the vote, protests erupted across the country and scuffles among lawmakers took place in parliament.

The legislation, subject to two more readings, will require organizations receiving more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as foreign agents.

Initially introduced in 2023, the “foreign agents” bill was shelved following two nights of violent demonstrations.

The government has said the draft legislation will promote transparency and counter foreign-imposed “pseudo-liberal values.” But many critics have compared the bill to Russia’s “foreign agents” law that has been used to crack down on dissent.

The EU warned that adopting the bill would hinder Georgia’s integration into the bloc, as it contradicts core norms and could restrict civil society and media freedoms. Other Western nations also urged against its passage, but Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze defended the bill.

Observers noted that the draft law has intensified divisions in Georgia, sparking opposition from various sectors, including civil society and celebrities.

President Salome Zourabichvili threatened to veto the law, but parliament can override her.

On Wednesday, protests erupted outside parliament, met with police force, with some chanting against the bill as “the Russian law.”

Russia denied involvement, calling the legislation a “normal practice” and blaming external actors for anti-Russian sentiment.

This story originally appeared in the April 18, 2024 newsletter, Gangland Elections.