Source: Georgia’s parliament passes ‘foreign influence’ bill at centre of weeks of protest
Georgian MPs on Tuesday approved a “foreign influence” bill that sparked weeks of mass protests, with critics calling it a Russian-style threat to free speech and the country’s aspirations to join the European Union.
The opposition has denounced the bill as “the Russian law” because Moscow uses similar legislation to crack down on independent news media, nonprofits and activists critical of the Kremlin.
The bill requires media and nongovernmental organisations and other nonprofit groups to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they receive more than 20 per cent of their funding from abroad.
The government says the bill is needed to stem what it deems as harmful foreign actors trying to destabilise politics in the South Caucasus nation of 3.7 million people.
After the 84-30 vote, a crowd of protesters in front of parliament tried to break metal barriers near the building.
At least 13 people were arrested in the protest, police said. Georgian news reports showed one with severe cuts and bruises on his head.
European Council President Charles Michel said Tuesday that if Georgians “want to join the EU, they have to respect the fundamental principles of the rule of law and the democratic principles”.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the US was “deeply troubled” by the legislation, which she said “runs counter to democratic values and would move Georgia further away from the values of the European Union. And let’s not forget also NATO”.
Enacting the law “will compel us to fundamentally reassess our relationship with Georgia,” she added.
The bill is nearly identical to one that the governing Georgian Dream party was pressured to withdraw last year after street protests. Renewed demonstrations have rocked Georgia for weeks, with demonstrators scuffling with police, who used tear gas and water cannons to disperse them.
格鲁吉亚议员周二批准了引发数周大规模抗议活动的“外国影响”法案，，批评者称其是对言论自由和该国加入欧盟愿望的俄罗斯式威胁。 反对派谴责该法案是“俄罗斯法律”，因为莫斯科使用类似的立法来镇压独立新闻媒体、非营利组织和批评克里姆林宫的活动人士。 该法案要求媒体、非政府组织和其他非营利组织如果其 20% 以上的资金来自国外，就必须注册为“追求外国势力的利益”。 政府表示，需要通过该法案来阻止其认为有害的外国行为者试图破坏这个拥有 370 万人口南高加索国家的政治稳定。 84:30 投票后，议会前的一群抗议者试图冲破大楼附近的金属屏障。 警方称，至少有 13 人在抗议活动中被捕。格鲁吉亚新闻报道显示，其中一名头部有严重割伤和瘀伤。 欧洲理事会主席查尔斯·米歇尔周二表示，如果格鲁吉亚人“想加入欧盟，他们就必须尊重法治和民主的基本原则”。 白宫新闻秘书卡琳·让-皮埃尔表示，美国对该立法“深感不安”，她说该立法“违背民主价值观，将使格鲁吉亚进一步远离欧盟的价值观”。更远离北约”。 她补充说，颁布这项法律“将迫使我们从根本上重新评估我们与格鲁吉亚的关系”。 该法案与去年执政的格鲁吉亚梦想党在街头抗议后被迫撤销的法案几乎相同。新一轮的示威活动数周震撼了格鲁吉亚，示威者与警察发生扭打，警察使用催泪瓦斯和高压水枪驱散他们。
