More than 60 arrested in Georgia in protests against a law that limits the independence of media and NGOs

Thousands of Georgians gathered in front of Parliament on Tuesday night in rejection of a repressive legal reform that complicates their country's claims to enter the European Union.

Its deputies have approved in the first instance the so-called "bill on foreign agents", an initiative inspired by Russian legislation that will introduce a

to all the media, NGOs and activists who receive at least one fifth of their funds from outside the country.

Once labeled as foreign agents by the Georgian Ministry of Justice, those affected must meet a series of very severe requirements under the threat of fines or even sentences of up to five years in prison.

In Russia, the free interpretation of this law, which was approved in 2012, has justified the suppression of reputable organizations that ensured historical memory and defended human rights, such as Memorial, closed in December 2021.

Police cracked down on Tuesday's protests with violence.

At least 66 people were arrested and water cannons were used to disperse them.

Among those arrested was the leader of the opposition Girchi party, Zurab Japaridze.

"The international community will condemn the Georgian authorities for dispersing a peaceful demonstration," warned the head of another opposition party, Giorgui Vashadze, leader of the Aghmashenebeli Strategy.

According to the version of the Ministry of the Interior, more than 50 police officers were injured and force was used against the demonstrators "for committing vandalism and disobeying the security forces."

Despite its first approval, the processing of the bill may still be slowed down.

The draft has been sent to the Venice Commission after its approval this Wednesday, and the conclusions of the advisory body of the Council of Europe can be devastating.

“We will get its conclusion in a few months, and Parliament will continue its debate afterwards,” stressed MP Irakli Kobajidze, a member of the ruling Georgian Dream party.

Even the president of Georgia, Salomé Zourabichvili, has positioned herself on the side of the opponents of the law: "I am with you because today you represent a free Georgia that sees its future in Europe and does not want anyone to steal that future from it," he said. the high office through a video recorded in front of the Statue of Liberty in New York, where he is on an official trip.

However, for the Georgian Prime Minister, Irakli Garibashvili, this new measure "meets European standards."

The new law has received numerous criticisms both from non-governmental organizations and from the European Union itself.

“It is incompatible with international human rights law and with standards that protect freedom of expression and association,” Human Rights Watch director for Europe and Central Asia, Hugh Williamson, said in a statement.

“The foreign agents law will marginalize and discredit independent organizations and media that, having foreign funding, serve to further the public interest in Georgia (...) It will have a chilling effect on activists who watch over democracy, human rights and the rule of law”, added the activist.

"The authoritarian manual of Russia"

The International Press Institute has also condemned the initiative.

“We are alarmed that Georgian lawmakers are considering taking over the authoritative Russian playbook with the so-called

.

This type of legislation has no place in a country that aspires to join the European Union and subscribes to the democratic principles of governance”, stressed the deputy director of the media institute, Scott Griffen, through another statement.

For the Georgian free press, "there is no rational motive behind this law other than to suppress civil society and the independent press," said Mariam Gogosashvili, director of the Georgia Charter of Journalistic Ethics association.

The country, which formally applied to join the European Union a year ago, on March 3, 2022, as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, has also received a wake-up call from Brussels.

For the bloc's high representative in its foreign policy, Josep Borrell, the Georgian law on foreign agents fails to meet the democratic standards required of its members.

"It is a very bad development for Georgia and its people," the head of European diplomacy has warned Tbilisi.

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