US Helsinki Commission holds congressional hearing on “supporting Georgia’s sovereignty, democracy”
In his remarks, Courtney said Georgians would “not be denied the European and democratic future they had worked so hard to attain”. Photo: GettyImages
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The United States Helsinki Commission on Tuesday held a congressional hearing on “supporting Georgia’s sovereignty and democracy” following the Georgian Government’s adoption of a controversial law on transparency of foreign influence.
Ivane Chkhikvadze, the European Union Integration Programme Manager at the Civil Society Foundation, Natalie Sabanadze, the former Georgian Ambassador to the EU and William Courtney, the former US Ambassador to Georgia, featured in the hearing with testimonies over the latest developments in Georgia.
In his remarks, Courtney said Georgians would “not be denied the European and democratic future they had worked so hard to attain”.
Sabanadze claimed democracy in Georgia was being “destroyed by the hands of the parliamentary supermajority” of the ruling Georgian Dream party.
Chkhikvadze further alleged the controversial law would “fully erase the critical voices and destroy the vibrant civil society” that had been built in the country “with the generous support of our friends and partners” over the years.
The recently adopted law requires registration of non-commercial legal entities and media outlets in Georgia as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they derive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad.