Bill on transparency of foreign influence sparks public protest in Tbilisi
The Georgian Parliament’s discussion of the controversial domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence again sparked public protests outside the legislative body in Tbilisi on Sunday. Photo: 1TV
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The Georgian Parliament’s discussion of the controversial domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence again sparked public protests outside the legislative body in Tbilisi on Sunday, with domestic opposition parties, non-governmental organisations, media outlets and citizens involved in a rally.
The country’s Ministry of Internal Affairs on Sunday said “despite appeals made by police, activists attempted to break through the police cordon multiple times”, adding law enforcement “administered special means established by law to restore order”.
It also confirmed the “administrative arrest” of Aleksi Petriashvili, the former Georgian State Minister of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration in the Georgian Dream Government between 2012-2014, during the protests.
The body also urged activists not to damage inventory and equipment of a stage set up on Rustaveli Avenue, in front of the legislative body, for a public rally announced by the ruling Georgian Dream party last week “to say yes to transparency” on Monday.
The Georgian Public Defender said his office was observing the developing events that included clashes between participants of the rally and law enforcement officers.
The Ombudsman’s Office said “interference with freedom of assembly is permissible only if the assembly takes a violent and/or illegal nature, in which case the termination of the assembly by the authorities should be used as the last resort, and the use of force within the mentioned framework should meet the strict test of necessity and proportionality”.
It also noted there was “no prerequisite for terminating” the assembly as it was peaceful and appealed to the Ministry not to use force against the demonstrators or prevent them from using their constitutional rights. At the same time the body urged participants in the assembly to “stay within the scope of peaceful assembly”.
The protest comes against the legislative initiative which calls for registration of non-commercial legal entities and media outlets in the country as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they derive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad.
The bill has been reintroduced by the ruling Georgian Dream party after its retraction following protests last year, and has been met by criticism from the opposition, the domestic NGO sector and a part of Georgia’s foreign partner states and diplomatic representations.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Saturday called a letter, sent by the bipartisan group of the United States senators to Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Friday stating the controversial domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence undermined the country’s relations with the US, “somewhat surprising and disappointing”.
Katarína Roth Neveďalová, a member of the European Parliament, on Saturday said Georgia, as “an important partner of the European Union”, had the right to adopt any law it deemed necessary, in her comments over the resolution adopted on Thursday by the EP against the Georgian bill on transparency of foreign influence.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Friday said freedom of assembly was “ensured” in the country but urged the “radical” opposition not to hold its protests against the controversial bill on transparency of foreign influence on Monday, as a ruling party-organised rally is set to run in support of the legislative piece.
The Georgian Interior Ministry on Wednesday said law enforcement would have an “appropriate legal response” to protesters blocking traffic on Rustaveli Avenue in capital Tbilisi, citing reduction of numbers of participants of the ongoing protests against the controversial bill on transparency of foreign influence.