Georgia passes ‘Russia-style’ law on foreign influence despite U.S. warnings and mass protests

Georgian
lawmakers
on
Tuesday
passed
a

highly
controversial “Kremlin-style”
law
on
foreign
influence,
despite
massive
protests
in
the
country
and
repeated
warnings
from
the
U.S.
and
European
Union.

Members
of
the
Georgian
Parliament
physically

came
to
blows
as
lawmakers
held
the
third
and
final
reading
of
the
so-called “foreign
agents”
bill,
before
ultimately
approving
the
legislation.

Of
the
country’s
150-member
law-making
body,
84
members
voted
in
favor,
with
30
voting
against.

The
ruling
Georgian
Dream
party
has
insisted
the
legislation
is
necessary,
despite
some
of
the
largest
demonstrations
the
country
has
seen
since
declaring
independence
from
the
Soviet
Union
more
than
30
years
ago.

The
foreign
influence
bill
calls
for
media
outlets,
nonprofits
and
other
nongovernmental
organizations
to
register
as “pursuing
the
interests
of
a
foreign
power”
if
they
receive
more
than
20%
of
their
funding
from
abroad.

Georgian
President
Salome
Zourabichvili
has
previously
vowed
to
veto
the
bill.
The
parliament,
however,
can
override
her
veto
by
holding
an
additional
vote.

Russia,
which
occupies
about
20%
of
Georgia’s
internationally
recognized
territory,
has
used
similar
legislation
to
crack
down
on
independent
news
media
and
activists
critical
of
the
Kremlin.

The
country’s
opposition
lawmakers
have
denounced
the
legislation,
sometimes
referred
to
as
the “Russian
law.”
Critics
say
the
bill
could
jeopardize
Georgia’s
chances
of
joining
the
European
Union
and
push
the
country
back
into
Russia’s
orbit.

Speaking
ahead
of
Tuesday’s
vote,
White
House
national
security
advisor
Jake
Sullivan
said
the
U.S.
was “deeply
alarmed”
about
democratic
backsliding
in
the
country.

“Georgian
Parliamentarians
face
a
critical
choice
–
whether
to
support
the
Georgian
people’s
EuroAtlantic
aspirations
or
pass
a
Kremlin-style
foreign
agents’
law
that
runs
counter
to
democratic
values,”
Sullivan
said
Saturday
via
social
media
platform
X.

Separately,
European
Commission
President
Ursula
von
der
Leyen

said
the
EU
had “clearly
expressed
its
concerns”
regarding
the
proposed
law
and
condemned
violence
in
the
streets
of
Tbilisi
earlier
this
month.

“The
Georgian
people
want
a
European
future
for
their
country.
In
recognition
of
these
aspirations,
the
European
Council
in
December
gave
Georgia
candidate
status
and
set
out
a
clear
path
to
the
opening
of
accession
negotiations,”
Von
der
Leyen
said
in
a
statement
on
May
1.

“We
expect
the
Georgian
government
to
take
swift
action
on
the
measures
they
have
committed
to
take
as
a
candidate
country.
Georgia
is
at
a
crossroads.
It
should
stay
the
course
on
the
road
to
Europe,”
she
added.