NEWS

Police arrest 36 at rally against bill on transparency of foreign influence

The protest was launched after a joint session of the foreign relations and defence committees of the Parliament on Thursday began discussions on the proposed bill that involves 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. Photo: The Georgian Interior Ministry.

Agenda.ge, 03 Mar 2023 - 12:40, Tbilisi,Georgia

Georgian police officers arrested 36 individuals, including reporters, on administrative offences during a public rally against the controversial domestic draft law on transparency of foreign influence late on Thursday outside the Parliament of Georgia in Tbilisi.

Zura Vardiashvili, the Director General of Publika online media outlet and Beka Jikurashvili, a journalist of Tabula Magazine were among those arrested before being released later on Thursday.

The arrests had been made on charges of “petty hooliganism” and “disobedience to police officers”, the Georgian Interior Ministry told InterPressNews on Friday.

The protest was launched after a joint session of the foreign relations and defence committees of the Parliament on Thursday began discussions on the proposed bill that involves 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.

Lawmakers clashed verbally and physically during the session, before Parliament security removed opposition MPs, including the newly elected United National Movement Chair Levan Khabeishvili and Strategy Agmashenebeli party leader Giorgi Vashadze, from the hearings.

Proposed by a public movement founded by former members of the ruling Georgian Dream party, the bill has been met by a backlash from the domestic opposition, civil sector and diplomatic representations in the country, who have claimed threats to democratic principles from the bill’s potential adoption.

The United Nations Office in Georgia on Sunday said approving the bill would “risk impeding the work of civil society and media and the essential contributions they make to Georgian democracy”, while Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili on Tuesday pledged to veto its adoption.

RELATED

Foreign Relations, Defence Committees support transparency bill at first hearing amid confrontation

02 Mar 2023

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.

President vows to veto bill on transparency of foreign influence if approved

28 Feb 2023

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.

Bill on transparency of foreign influence “in full accordance” with democratic standards - ruling party head

21 Feb 2023

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”.

Ruling party to support bill on transparency of foreign influence

21 Feb 2023

Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday said the ruling team would support the domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence proposed by People's Power, a public movement established by former MPs of the party.

Georgian PM: “Many NGOs” “directly fighting against Georgian state interests” with foreign funding

07 Mar 2023

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Tuesday said “many non-government organisations” in the country were “directly fighting against state interests” using foreign funding, in comments on the controversial bill for registering 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.

Ruling party head says consultations in progress with European, US partners to “prevent funding unrest”

02 Nov 2023

Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Thursday said consultations were in progress between the Government and the country’s European and American partners to “prevent funding extremism, polarised political environment and a revolution” in the country through foreign sources.