The promoters of the controversial bill on foreign agents, denounced by the Georgian opposition as a repressive tool and sparking mass protests, this Thursday withdrew the legislative initiative, which had already been approved in an initial parliamentary review.
“First of all, we should talk about Georgia’s peace, tranquility and economic development, Georgia’s progress towards European integration. Therefore, as responsible forces, we have decided to withdraw the bill unconditionally.”the People’s Force movement and the ruling Georgian Dream party announced in a joint statement.
The two formations stressed that the “lie machine” confused part of society, as the bill was given the “false ‘Russian’ label”, and its adoption was interpreted as a renunciation of the country’s integration into Europe .
The European Union delegation in Georgia has already welcomed the announcement of the withdrawal of the controversial bill.
“We welcome the ruling party’s announcement of the withdrawal of the bill”stated the European delegation in Tbilisi on Twitter, adding: “We encourage all political leaders in Georgia to resume pro-European reforms.”
The promoters of the bill stressed that the country will continue its policy of integration in Europe and announced that they will launch a campaign to “explain the truth” to public opinion.
The proposal requires any organization that receives more than 20% of its funding from abroad to be registered as a “foreign agent” to avoid hefty fines.
Registration will oblige these organizations to submit regular financial reports and the authorities will be able to penalize and even ban them in case of irregularities.
Critics of the bill argue that it is similar to a law passed by Russia a decade ago that allows the state to suppress and ban critical views of the opposition, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), media and human rights activists by banning them. classify as “foreign agents”.
More than 130 people have been detained in Tbilisi during the protests and clashes over the past two days, according to Georgia’s Interior Ministry, with at least 60 police officers injured.
The latest clashes took place on Thursday morning, when riot police removed barricades from Rustaveli Avenue, the capital’s main street, where protesters set fire to two cars, including a police car.
Georgia, a small ex-Soviet republic in the Caucasus, has ambitions to join the European Union and NATO, but several government moves have recently cast a shadow over these ambitions and cast doubt on its ties with Moscow.
Source: DN
