Georgian lawmakers rejected a presidential veto of controversial “foreign agents” legislation on Tuesday, clearing the way for the bill to take effect.
The law, which sparked weeks of massive protests, would require media outlets and NGOs that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power.”
Lawmakers voted 84-4 to override President Salome Zourabichvili’s veto and pass the bill. Most opposition lawmakers left the 150-seat chamber before the vote.
The legislation was introduced by the ruling Georgian Dream party in April and approved by Parliament earlier this month.
The bill has been widely criticized by the EU, UN, NATO and the US. Washington announced travel sanctions following this measure.
“It is regrettable that Georgia’s leaders are choosing to forgo the steps necessary to advance Georgia and the Western direction its people desire,” said US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.
The EU said it “deeply regrets” the adoption of the law. EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said the European Union was “considering all options to respond to these developments.”
Why did the president veto the bill?
President Zurabichvili, a fierce critic of the ruling party, vetoed the bill on May 18.
In an interview with DW before the veto, she accused Georgian Dream of endangering the country’s future and said the law had become a “symbol of a number of laws, measures and speeches that move away from Georgia from its European path”.
“What seems important to me is that the country continues on its path towards Europe,” she said.
The government has defended the legislation, saying it is necessary to ensure transparency and to contain harmful foreign actors seeking to destabilize the South Caucasus country.
Meanwhile, opponents have called the bill a “Russian law” because it is similar to measures imposed by Moscow to suppress independent media and dissent. Critics also say the bill aims to appease the Kremlin and restrict media freedoms ahead of Georgia’s parliamentary elections in October.
New protests break out in Tbilisi
Thousands of people gathered outside Parliament on Tuesday, waving Georgian and European flags ahead of a rally planned for the evening.
Clashes have repeatedly occurred between protesters and police since the law was first proposed several weeks ago.
From Tbilisi, DW correspondent Maria Katamadze described the situation as “very fragile, very unstable.”
“This follows an unprecedented national reaction on the streets of Tbilisi, where mainly young people, Generation Z and grassroots movements have been protesting for over a month now,” she said. “They say this is a domestic resistance to government actions that many critics say will harm Georgia’s reputation around the world and harm relations with the West.”
nm/msh (AFP, AP)
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