Georgian Parliament Approves Controversial 'Foreign Agents' Bill Despite Protests

The Georgian Parliament has passed the controversial 'Foreign Agents' bill with a majority vote, which has sparked widespread protests in the capital. On Tuesday, May 15, in the third and final voting, lawmakers voted 84 in favor and 30 against the law proposed by the ruling party 'Georgian Dream'. The United States, the European Union, and human rights monitoring organizations have condemned the bill, considering it a mimicry of a similar law in Russia used by Vladimir Putin to suppress dissent and silence independent institutions. The so-called 'Foreign Agents' law has led to extensive protests in Georgia for weeks, with a large segment of the population opposing it due to its resemblance to repressive laws in Russia and the threat it poses to Georgia's EU accession. Nevertheless, the ruling party 'Georgian Dream' has not yielded to these protests and has intensified its crackdown on demonstrators. Many people in Georgia are protesting due to the similarities to repressive Russian laws and the threat to Georgia's EU membership. In recent weeks, the ruling party has used its power over security forces to violently suppress protesters, employing water cannons, tear gas, and rubber bullets against them. The number of arrests has increased in recent days, and some political figures have been assaulted at night by unknown individuals, with many well-known protesters reporting threatening calls to themselves and their families from unknown persons. The approval of the 'Foreign Agents' bill and the ongoing protests in Georgia, which are growing daily, have drawn international reactions. Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, praised the protesters on Tuesday, stating that the Parliament supports the people of Georgia. The Norwegian Foreign Ministry also stated that the approval of this bill 'undermines Georgian democracy' and 'jeopardizes the country's path to Europe'. Annalena Baerbock, Germany's Foreign Minister, expressed solidarity with the Georgian protesters and supported them. Before the final vote was announced, clashes erupted between 'Georgian Dream' lawmakers and opponents in Parliament. Television images show that debates, which began around noon local time, quickly turned violent, with male and female representatives angrily pushing each other and fighting. At the same time, thousands of people, many of whom are young, gathered in the center of Tbilisi in front of the Parliament building for a protest. One young protester outside the Parliament told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 'I am Georgian, and therefore I am European. We just want freedom, that's it.' He then introduced himself as a student at Ilia State University and stated that he came to protest against the 'Russian law', against the Russian-style regime, to fight for freedom. Another female protester told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that this legislation is contrary to the Georgian Constitution. She added, 'The approval of this law is just an attempt to bring Georgia back under the full influence of Russia, and I am sure that we [the protesters] will win.' The UN office in Tbilisi has warned that the approval of this bill 'threatens freedom of expression' and urged officials to reconsider their violent behavior towards protesters. A day before the bill's approval, opposing members were barred from attending the legal committee meeting, allowing 'Georgian Dream' lawmakers to review and approve the bill in just 67 seconds before sending it to the public session. The proposed bill in Georgia states that NGOs receiving at least 20% of their funding from foreign countries must register as 'foreign agents'. Reports indicate that hundreds of NGOs operating in various fields, including media, freedom of expression, minority rights, agriculture, education, and more, will be subject to such a law. However, the ruling party 'Georgian Dream' claims that this law can prevent 'foreign influence' by creating 'transparency'. A similar law was previously passed in Russia, and following its implementation, many media outlets and NGOs that received part or all of their funding from outside Russia were forced to cease their activities, and in some cases, individuals were imprisoned under this law.