2024-05-03 09:55:03
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the violence in the Georgian capital Tbilisi, where police used water cannons, tear gas and stun grenades to disperse protests against the “foreign agents” law, and urged the country not to deviate from its path to the EU. Reuters, quoted by BTA.
Earlier, the 150 deputies of the Georgian parliament approved the law in the second reading by 83 (out of 150) to 23 votes, the Associated Press notes.
Protesters call the bill “the Russian law” because neighboring Russia has used similar legal measures against independent news media and organizations critical of the Kremlin.
A third and final vote in parliament is needed before it can come into effect. Georgian MP Irakli Kobakhidze told the media today that he expects this final vote to take place in mid-May.
The law would require media and nonprofit organizations to register as “protecting the interests of a foreign power” if they receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad. Last year, the ruling Georgian Dream party withdrew a similar proposal last year after thousands of protests.
Relations between Russia and Georgia have been complicated and turbulent since the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. In 2008, the two countries fought a short war, as a result of which Georgia lost control over two Russian-friendly separatist regions, AP recalls. As a result, Tbilisi severed diplomatic relations with Moscow, and the issue of the status of the regions remains a major issue with Moscow, although relations have somewhat improved.
Georgia has joined international resolutions condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but has also become a major destination for Russians fleeing military mobilization and political repression. Even in the ruling party of Georgia, there is internal tension regarding its neighbor, AP notes.
