Critics fear it could be used to stifle the press and non-governmental organisations and derail the country’s chances of joining the European Union. Georgia has been a candidate country since December 2023.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has joined the bloc’s foreign policy chief in condemning police violence in Georgia that continued after parliament passed a controversial foreign influence transparency law.
Writing on X, von der Leyen said: “I am following the situation in Georgia with great concern and condemn the violence on the streets of Tbilisi.”
“The Georgian people want a European future for their country. Georgia is at a crossroads. It should stay the course on the road to Europe.”
Dubbed the ‘Russian law’, the bill requires media and non-commercial organisations to register as ‘pursuing the interests of a foreign power’ if they receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad.
Similar legislation adopted in Russia was used to help silence voices and groups critical of the Kremlin.
Critics fear it could be used to stifle the press and non-governmental organisations and derail the country’s chances of joining the European Union. Georgia has been a candidate country since December 2023.
“I think the readiness of people to fight for their freedom, to fight for their European future, is so high that we will definitely overcome and we will definitely defend our freedom no matter how long it takes,” said Elene Khostaria, leader of the opposition Droa Party.
“We will protest and we will win,” she said.
Support for EU membership among Georgia’s 3.7 million citizens is as high as 81%, according to a 2022 poll by the National Democratic Institute.
But supporters of the bill, proposed by the ruling Georgian Dream party, say it is necessary to ensure transparency and national sovereignty.
President Salome Zourabichvili took to social media to criticise the police response to Tuesday night’s demonstrations, which saw some protesters beaten and at least 63 arrested.
She described the police violence as “totally unwarranted, unprovoked and out of proportion”.
Zourabichvili has vowed to veto the bill but the ruling party can override that by collecting 76 votes.
