Georgia’s parliament on Wednesday voted in favor of the foreign influence law in the second reading, with debate on the law accompanied by clashes and arrests outside the parliament building.
Despite protests and violent confrontations in the streets, Georgia finally passed a law on foreign agents. The law has been compared to similar rules that apply in Russia, and called a cross to Georgia’s Western and pro-European ambitions.
Severe beating
The same 83 deputies out of 150 voted for the bill, as in the first reading – all these are representatives of the ruling Georgian Dream party and their satellite, the People Power party.
Before the vote, a large protest rally outside the parliament building was violently dispersed.
The chairman of the opposition United National Movement, Levan Khabeishvili, said he was beaten by police when he tried to help a young man detained by special forces.
“When they beat me, they told me “you have a long tongue, and you always criticize the government, maybe you should stop…” They said: “Kill him, and then say that he hit his head.” They asked me to say that I was a “schmuck,” where they could not defeat me. Naturally, I did not give them that luxury and, after they received an answer, I received more,” said Khabeishvili from the rostrum. of parliament.
“What you see in my body and, unfortunately, it is how many children wake up, is Russia,” he said.
Khabeishvili called on representatives of the ruling party to stop considering the bill until the elections in October 2024: after that, according to him, the decision will be made by the people.
If the ruling party does not agree with this, the opposition calls on citizens to come out and “defend the national interests of Georgia.”
Hot stage of protest
On Tuesday night, riot police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse a rally on Rustaveli Avenue in front of parliament. According to official data, 63 people were detained.
The day before, the authorities announced an additional weekend: several days were added to the traditional Easter weekend, which includes Good Friday and Easter Monday, extending the holiday until May 13. Opposition observers see this as an attempt to curtail the activity of protesters in Tbilisi.
Tuesday’s protests were preceded by an unusual statement by Bidzina Ivanishvili, the honorary chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream and the country’s most powerful businessman, who launched speculation about Western funding of agents of influence in Georgia and the having a war party in the West. who dreams of opening a “second front.”
Ivanishvili’s speech drew a clearer line of demarcation between the ruling party and opponents of the law.
Opponents call the law “Russian” and note its similarity in many respects to the original version of the Russian law on foreign agents.
Russian influence
The law obliges non-governmental organizations and media that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as an organization promoting the interests of a foreign power.
Analyst Gia Khukhashivili, who for some time was an adviser to Ivanishvili, said that the consideration of the law on foreign influence should be considered in a complex of other initiatives of the authorities, some of which is designed to create comfortable conditions in Georgia for Russian. capital, which has become difficult in many other countries after the introduction of sanctions. And the dispersal of rallies, in his opinion, is intended to show strength and show that the government has full control over the situation.
Before adopting the law, the final third reading remains, which has not yet been scheduled, but is likely to take place on May 17.
After that, the President of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, as promised, will veto the law, and the law will return to parliament, where government supporters theoretically have enough votes to override it. .
Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said at a press conference on Wednesday that the law on transparency of foreign influence will definitely be adopted.
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.