What is Georgia’s controversial ‘Russian law’? • FRANCE 24 English

What is Georgia’s controversial ‘Russian law’? • FRANCE 24 English

in Georgia it’s been dubbed the foreign agent law or the Russian law by critics and it’s so politically heed that politicians have been fighting and throwing things in Parliament under the bill any NGO or Independent Media receiving more than 20% of its funding from abroad would have to register as organizations quote bearing the interests of a foreign power in other words foreign agents they would also be monitored by Georgia’s just Ministry and could be forced to share sensitive information or face Hefty fines critics including Georgia’s president say the bill copies a 2012 Russian law is a duplicate of what uh Putin President Putin has been doing in Russia over the past years in order to suppress the Civil Society the non-governmental organizations Georgia’s prime minister has accused NOS of attempting to stage two re utions in the country his ruling Georgian Dream party argues the bill will boost transparency of foreign funding and denies that Russia is behind the legislation but opposition parties and protesters don’t buy it the russification of Georgia is ongoing they are trying to establish Russian dictatorship in Georgia unfortunately Georgian lawmakers partake in this process pursuing Russian policies in the country for years now the third and final reading of the legislation is expected in miday president zor Bish has said she will veto the law if Parliament passes it but the Georgian Dream party could override that veto

Georgia’s Parliament moved a step closer Wednesday to passing a law that critics fear will stifle media freedom and endanger the country’s European Union membership bid, as police used water cannons, tear gas and pepper spray against the tens of thousands of protesters who thronged surrounding streets. Protesters denounce the bill as “the Russian law” because neighboring Russia uses similar legislation to stigmatise independent news media and organisations critical of the Kremlin.
#Georgia #Europe #protests

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