(CNN) Georgia’s parliament on Friday formally repealed a controversial “foreign influence” bill that sparked mass protests amid concerns it resembles Russian laws used to crack down on political dissent.
Georgia lawmakers voted against the bill in its second reading by a margin of 35 to one, according to Georgia’s public broadcaster First Channel.
Friday’s vote came a day after the country’s ruling party announced it would scrap the proposed legislation, hours after thousands of people rallied outside Georgia’s parliament for a second night of protests. Senior US and European Union officials have also expressed concern over the bill.
The controversial legislation should require organizations that receive 20% or more of their annual income from abroad to register as “foreign agents” or face heavy fines – a proposal which rights experts warn will have a chilling effect on the country’s civil society and be detrimental. its democracy.
Georgia lawmakers formally scrapped a controversial “foreign influence” bill on March 10, 2023, after widespread demonstrations against the proposed law rocked parts of the country.
A demonstrator in Georgia, pictured March 9, 2023, wears an EU flag during a protest against the proposed “foreign agents” bill.
Georgia won its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, and has since sought to strike a diplomatic balance between its citizens’ pro-European stance and the geopolitical ambitions of its powerful neighbor, Russia.
Western leaders welcomed Thursday’s decision to shell out the bill, with the European Union’s office in Georgia saying it encouraged the country’s lawmakers “to pursue pro-EU reforms.” Although Georgia has not been granted EU candidacy status after applying for membership in March 2022, the European Council has expressed its willingness to grant that status if the country implements certain reforms.
Meanwhile, Moscow said on Friday it was closely monitoring what it called “provocations” in Georgia with “great concern” after mass protests there forced it. a THE controversial proposed law to be repealed.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Georgia’s decision to withdraw the bill was “full of challenges” and denied Russian influence in proposing the Putin-style “foreign agents” bill. .
“The situation that served as a reason for these popular unrest and insurgent manifestations has nothing to do with the Russian Federation,” Peskov said, adding that “Russia has nothing to do with it either in essence or in form. We do not interfere in the internal Georgian affairs.”
Peskov instead accused the US of interfering in Georgia’s affairs, and admitted that Washington is “diligently trying to re-add an anti-Russian element to it.”
Fighting ‘never ends’
Protesters outside the Georgian parliament welcomed the withdrawal of the bill, but said they would continue to fight for their country to join the EU in the form of a 12-point plan.
“This is a victory for our people … we were scattered many times, but we came back with a common European and national idea. of the European Union,” said Tamar Jakeli, one of the organizers in protest, according to First Channel.
Protesters in Georgia celebrate outside parliament as lawmakers vote to cancel the controversial “foreign agent” bill on Friday March 10, 2023.
The Associate Director of Human Rights Watch (HRW) Giorgi Gogia warned before that “the fight is unlikely to end.”
“The leader of the ruling party just said that he blames the critical media and independent groups for the polarization of the country, trying to discredit them,” Gogia, associate director for HRW’s Europe and Central Asia division, tweeted on Friday.
Gogia said the proposed legislation is a clear threat to human rights in Georgia.
CNN’s Rhea Mogul, Sophie Tanno, Niamh Kennedy, Hannah Ritchie and Sana Noor Haq contributed reporting.
