TBILISI, Georgia — Face to face installation pressure from the protesters, Georgia’s ruling party said in statement on Thursday that it had decided to withdraw a proposed law on “foreign agents” that critics say mimics Russian law used by the Kremlin to block opposition and social media. civil society.
The decision came after the second major night of protests in a row in the Georgian capital Tbilisi, with riot police using tear gas, water cannons and stun grenades to disperse crowds after midnight. In a statement on Thursday, police speak it arrested 133 protesters for petty hooliganism and disobeying police orders during two days of protests.
The proposal, which received initial approval in Parliament on Tuesday, would require Georgian media outlets and NGOs that receive a substantial amount of funding from abroad to register as representatives. foreign influence. They will face a hefty fine if they do not comply.
Members of the Georgian opposition said the law was modeled on a similar piece of legislation introduced in 2012 in Russia aimed at putting pressure on civil society and pro-Western media. Protesters took to the streets chanting “No to Russian law” during two nights of demonstrations.
The President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, joined protesters to denounce the law as a sneaky attempt to present one of the most powerful tools President Vladimir V. Putin has used in repression. dissidents in Russia. The measure under consideration in Georgia is also seen as damaging its already stalled efforts to join the European Union.
Ms. Zourabichvili has distanced herself from the Dream party since they initially backed her campaign in 2018. Experts disagree on the extent to which the proposed “foreign agent law” shows signs of whether Georgia has returned to the orbit of Russian control or for domestic political reasons. After more than a decade in power, the ruling party is adopting Putin’s tried and true methods to stay in power indefinitely.
A country of 3.6 million people, Georgia went through a painful war with Russia in 2008. Since then, Moscow has maintained military control over about 20% of Georgia’s territory.
According to Mikheil Kechaqmadze, a Georgian political analyst, the ruling party’s decision represents a “tactical victory” for the country’s opposition and civil society. However, he said, it is unlikely that “this page of legislation has actually closed.”
“There is not much trust between the government and its opponents,” he said.
