A law that is intended to exert greater control over influence from abroad is dividing Georgia: first tens of thousands of opponents of the plans took to the streets, now the government is organizing a counter-protest.
In Georgia in the South Caucasus, the domestic political dispute over a planned law to control foreign influence is coming to a head. The ruling Georgian Dream party, which is pushing the law, gathered tens of thousands of its supporters in central Tbilisi. Media reports spoke of more than 100,000 people who had been brought to the capital by bus from all parts of the country.
It was the reaction to days of mass protests against the law, which, according to its opponents, should be used to control civil society, as in Russia. There were clashes with the police during a demonstration on Sunday evening. The Legal Affairs Committee of the Georgian Parliament has now prepared the second reading of the controversial law. 14 opposition MPs were expelled during the session.
Misuse of the law is feared – based on the Russian model
The project, which has been criticized as a “Russian law,” requires non-governmental organizations that receive money from abroad to disclose these financial sources. According to its own statements, the Georgian government wants to ensure more transparency and control the extent of foreign influence more closely. Many civil society and democracy promotion projects in Georgia are financed by the West, including money from the EU and the USA.
However, critics fear that such a Russian-style law could be misused to stop these flows of money and politically persecute pro-Western forces.
The former Soviet republic of Georgia is oriented towards the West and is a candidate for EU membership. The government of Georgian Dream is also in favor of rapprochement with the EU, but at the same time advocates alignment with Russia. Billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, the strong man in the party, today accused the West of using Georgia, like Ukraine, as cannon fodder in the fight against Moscow.
Sharp criticism of the draft law from the EU
The EU and many of its member states have sharply criticized the planned law on so-called foreign agents. The party-affiliated political foundations of the CDU, SPD, Greens and FDP, which are active in Georgia, warned against adoption. “If the law is passed, it would significantly restrict the work of Georgian civil society and independent media, which have made an enormous contribution to Georgia’s democratization process,” it said in a statement.