Recent Developments Regarding Controversial Foreign Agents Bill

| News, Politics, Georgia

On March 6, the opposition MPs displayed the flags of the European Union, NATO, and Georgia from the window of the Parliament building. The participants of the ongoing rally near the Parliament welcomed the above with applause.

On the same day, the participants in the protest ongoing in front of the legislative body threw eggs at the Parliament building. Demonstrators protested against the draft law "On Transparency of Foreign Influence" initiated by People's Power. Demonstrators were holding banners and flags of the European Union and Georgia and chanting: "No to Russian law," "Russian dream," "Russians," and "Slaves."

During the protests, the chairman of the National Movement, Levan Khabeishvili, told the citizens gathered near the Parliament that the opposition was going to fight physically to prevent this law from being passed.

Moreover, the US Ambassador to Georgia, Kelly Degnan, said: "We have not given up on the effort to persuade, urge the Government not to proceed with this legislation." According to her, the United States, the UN, and the EU, the Council of Europe, many friends of Georgia have all expressed concerns about this legislation that will likely stigmatize civil society and silence independent media and dissenting voices, just as similar legislation has done in Russia and other countries like Russia. "So we are urging the Parliament to reconsider this legislation. It is not necessary. There is ample transparency regarding how foreign assistance is used here. This legislation will surely have the devastating impact of stopping Georgian organizations and groups who are doing good work to help other Georgians throughout this country. This legislation is not needed. We urge the Parliament to please reconsider, to withdraw this legislation, it is not necessary, and it is not in Georgia's best interest", the Ambassador said.

On March 7, Salome Zourabichvili, the President of Georgia, who is on an official visit to the United States, attended the 67th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. She denounced the proposed legislation: "It would be extremely detrimental to the democratic transformation of our society, the abolition of gender-based discrimination, and even our path toward European integration. Some groups in my country have introduced a draft law that would restrict the freedom of non-governmental organizations, in which, I must say, women activists have a predominant share. Thus, I strongly disagree with this proposed law internally and take this opportunity to restate my view publicly."

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