Georgian parliament passes ‘foreign agent’ law amid pro-EU protest crackdown

TBILISI — Georgian MPs greenlit controversial plans to brand hundreds of NGOs and media outlets as foreign agents on Tuesday, paving the way for the bill to become law despite growing domestic dissent and condemnation from the U.S. and EU.

In a vote, parliamentarians supported the proposals brought forward by the governing Georgian Dream party by 84 votes in favor and 30 against, after weeks of contentious debate that saw several brawls break out in the assembly chamber and one senior lawmaker assaulted. Crowds gathered outside the graffiti-daubed parliament building with whistles, vuvuzelas and even hitting pots and pans in a bid to make themselves heard by the lawmakers inside.

Under the new rules, civil society groups receiving more than 20 percent of their income from abroad will be required to register as “organizations serving the interests of a foreign power,” a label that critics fear will be used to silence anti-corruption campaigners and others critical of the government.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has vowed not to sign the bill as part of a growing rift with the ruling party, but her veto can be overridden by a simple majority in parliament, paving the way for it to pass into effect in the coming weeks.

Speaking to POLITICO, Tinatin Bokuchava, the chair of the largest opposition party in parliament, the United National Movement, said that the vote would “focus minds on the urgent need for regime change in Georgia.”

“With elections to look forward to in October, I am confident that the unity seen on the streets of Georgia in recent weeks will prove a watershed moment in our nation’s history. Our place is in Europe,” she added. 

A young protester waits to hear the result of the vote outside Georgia’s national parliament on Tuesday. | Gabriel Gavin/POLITICO

Georgian Dream and the parliamentary press office did not responded to requests for comment. 

Brussels gave Georgia EU candidate status in December, despite warnings that it was backsliding on key human rights issues and had failed to fully implement the reforms required by the European Commission — which included tackling political polarization. The EU has said the bill is “incompatible with European values” and could stymie the South Caucasus country’s bid to become a member of the bloc.

According to a letter seen by POLITICO, a dozen EU foreign affairs ministers on Friday urged the EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, to “send an unequivocal message to Tbilisi that this legislation is incompatible with Georgia’s progress on its EU path” via an “oral update” on Georgia’s EU accession.

“We kindly ask you to undertake this as a matter of priority and to make sure that this public assessment appears before the final vote at the Georgian parliament,” said the letter, which was signed by the foreign affairs ministers of Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden.

However, no such statement was made, with POLITICO’s Brussels Playbook reporting that Hungary, aided by Slovakia, obstructed an agreement.

Meanwhile, in the European Parliament, MEPs representing the EPP, S&D, Greens and Renew groupings have written to Borrell urging him to prepare “targeted” sanctions against Georgian Dream politicians who pushed the foreign agents law — including Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze — as well as the MPs who voted for it. 

Georgians have been demonstrating outside the parliament in Tbilisi against the so-called Russian law for weeks. | Gabriel Gavin/POLITICO

Speaking on the sidelines of the Copenhagen Democracy Summit, European Council President Charles Michel said that he had called Kobakhidze in recent days to urge him to “stick to the rule-of-law principles, to democratic principles, and also to meet the expectations of the population.” However, he added, “I’m not in favor of sanctions. I think at this stage the priority should be the dialogue, political dialogue.”

Tens of thousands of Georgians have taken to the streets in recent weeks to protest against the bill, which campaigners have branded the “Russian law” given its similarity to rules used by Moscow to shutter civil society groups and suppress critics. Riot police used tear gas, shields and batons to disperse the crowds who gathered outside parliament, arresting at least 20 people in advance of the vote.

Dato Parulava contributed reporting.