Parliament Committee Chair: transparency bill discussions should not be “taboo” subject
Anri Okhanashvili, the Chair of the Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee, on Wednesday said the topic of the controversial bill on transparency of foreign influence should be open for discussion. Photo: Parliament of Georgia
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Anri Okhanashvili, the Chair of the Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee, on Wednesday said the topic of the controversial bill on transparency of foreign influence should be open for discussion.
In comments about the bill proposed by People's Power, a public movement composed of former members of the ruling Georgian Dream party, and involving registration of non-commercial legal entities and media outlets as “agents of foreign influence” if they derive more than 20 percent of their income from abroad, Okhanashvili said “imposing a taboo” on discussions was “not acceptable for democracy”.
“In the name of democracy, some people are suggesting that we impose a taboo on a certain issue, as if even discussing the issue is undemocratic [and] incompatible with democratic principles”, the Parliament official said.
As for the content [of the bill], we will have the opportunity to listen to everyone during the Parliamentary discussion. I don't think anyone would feel uncomfortable with this principle that the process should be transparent”, he added.
“We will wait for the conclusion [on the bill] of the Venice Commission [of the Council of Europe], which has already discussed circumstances of different countries and has opinions. Every country has its own specifics, and when we have a conclusion, we will discuss it openly”, Okhanashvili also said.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday said there “could be no arguments from anyone” against the approval of the bill.
The legislative piece has been criticised by the domestic opposition, civil sector and diplomatic representations in the country, with the former calling it “incompatible with the basic principles of a modern democratic state”.
The United Nations Office in Georgia on Sunday said adoption of the bill would “risk impeding the work of civil society and media and the essential contributions they make to Georgian democracy”.
Sozar Subari, a member of People's Power - a public movement composed of former members of the ruling Georgian Dream party - on Wednesday said it was “impossible that what is good for American democracy turns out bad for Georgia”, in comments on the proposed controversial domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili on Tuesday pledged to veto the controversial domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence, proposed by the People’s Power movement, if the draft law is approved by the country’s legislative body.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday said there “could be no arguments from anyone” against the domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence, which has been proposed by People's Power, a public movement established by former MPs of the party, and caused public controversy over the recent days.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday said the domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence, proposed by People's Power, a public movement established by former members of the party, was in “full accordance” with human rights standards “unlike its American and Russian analogues”.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday discussed the bill on transparency of foreign influence with Paweł Herczyński, the Ambassador of the European Union to Georgia and ambassadors of the EU member states, the Parliament press office said.
Kakha Kaladze, the Mayor of Tbilisi and the Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Thursday commented on the controversy around the proposed bill on transparency of foreign influence by saying a similar law working well in the United States meant the law would also function in Georgia if approved.
The bill on transparency of foreign influence, proposed by People's Power, a public movement composed of former members of the ruling Georgian Dream party, was supported at the first hearing by the Foreign Relations and Defence Committees later on Thursday amid confrontation at the joint session.
The Georgian State Security Service on Monday rejected “fake” reports on its employees being present at the Parliament for ensuring enforcement, amid an ongoing public protest against the proposed bill on transparency of foreign influence.
A public protest was launched on Monday outside the Parliament of Georgia in capital Tbilisi in a demonstration against the proposed bill on registration of non-commercial legal entities and media outlets in the country as “agents of foreign influence” if they derive more than 20 percent of their income from abroad.