Since March 7, a large number of people have held protest rallies in front of the parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia's capital, with protesters accusing the parliament of passing bills "Putinist" and shouting "Russians" and "slaves" outside the parliament and demanding "democratic freedoms."
Georgian police confront protesters in Freedom Square
According to the "Rustavi" TV report: "Special forces marched along Lusdavili Street, from Liberty Square and Chitaze Street. "The protests have become violent in nature. If protesters do not comply with police demands, proportionate force may be further used in accordance with the law.
TEBILIS, March 8 (Russian Satellite News Agency) -- According to live footage from Georgian Television, members of the country's special forces used special equipment to march along Lusdaviri Avenue in central Tbilisi, using tear gas and water cannons along the way to disperse demonstrators.
Loudspeakers constantly demanded that personnel stop gathering, and special forces constantly moved participants in the rally from the square to the alley.
Police clashed fiercely with protesters
Despite the fact that special forces arrived at the parliament building in water trucks and dispersed people, protests in Tbilisi continued. Before that, protesters removed the metal fence and reached the central iron gate of parliament. According to the Georgian TV channel "Rustavi" of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, six people were detained during the protest operation.
Earlier, the Parliament of Georgia began consideration of a draft law on transparency of foreign influence, proposing the creation of a list of non-governmental organizations, the media and entities receiving foreign funding in the country, which stipulates that NGOs that receive more than 20 per cent of their budgets from abroad should register as foreign agents.
Representatives of the ruling Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia party told reporters that they intend to support the new bill. The opposition argues that the bill alienates Georgia from the European Union.
Flag of Georgia
EU High Representative for Foreign Policy, Joseph Borrell, said the draft law on "foreign agents" could seriously affect relations between Georgia and the EU.
Borrell's statement on the EU website said: "This is a very bad thing for Georgia and its people. In the current situation, the law may have a deterrent effect on civil society and the media, negatively affecting the many Georgians who have benefited from its work. This law is incompatible with the values and standards of the European Union".
He noted that the adoption of the law contradicts the stated goal of Georgia's accession to the EU, which is supported by the overwhelming majority of Georgian citizens. The EU calls on Georgia to support its commitment to promote democracy, the rule of law and human rights, and recalls the right of people to protest peacefully,"
Borrell stressed: "If the bill passes, it could have serious consequences for our relationship.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security, Joseph Borrell
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili supported protesters in opposing the draft law on "foreign agents" adopted on first reading by the country's parliament.
In a video supporting the protesters, she said: "I am standing in New York with the Statue of Liberty behind me. Freedom is a symbol for which Georgia has always struggled. I'm next to you. Today, you represent free Georgia. Georgia sees its future in Europe and will not allow anyone to take that future away."
According to Zurabishvili, no one needs this law except the "Moscow dictatorship", they know perfectly well what kind of law it is. I said from day one that I would exercise my veto. ”
President of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili
So what exactly is the "Foreign Agents" Act?
The earliest Foreign Agents Act dates back to the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), passed in the United States in 1983
It was a 1938 law against the Nazis that required any foreign agent involved in political activity in the United States to register their relationship with the foreign client and the manner in which the trustee supported it.
The Foreign Agents Registration Act is abbreviated as FARA
The Act is administered by agencies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Its purpose is to assist "the United States Government and the American people in assessing the statements and activities of the individuals concerned."
The Act is broad and aims to identify individuals or institutions that engage in political or quasi-political activities for foreign governments or agencies. If politically-related activities are carried out, detailed reporting is also required.
The specific content it contains is roughly divided into:
1. Mandatory Registration: The Act requires that anyone engaged in activities in the United States on behalf of foreign governments, political organizations or individuals must register with the U.S. Department of Justice and comply with the corresponding regulations. These activities include lobbying, advocacy, media, fundraising, etc.
2. Periodic reporting: After registration, foreign agents must submit periodic reports to the U.S. Department of Justice, which must detail information such as their activities, expenditures, and sources of funds received in the United States.
3. Restrictions on Movement: The Act stipulates that foreign agents may not engage in activities in the United States that affect the decisions of the U.S. government. In addition, foreign agents must comply with relevant regulations, such as not forging documents, using false materials, and not spreading false information in publicity.
4. Penalties for violations: The U.S. government has the right to take administrative, civil, or criminal sanctions against those who violate the provisions of the Act. These measures include fines, imprisonment, deregistration, etc.
Since the introduction of this law in the United States, other countries have successively introduced similar laws, such as:
Canada's Registration of Foreign Agents Act, 1989.
Australia's Australian Foreign Agents Registration Act 2018
The UK enacted the UK Foreign Agents Registration Act in 2021
and the Law on Foreign Agents and the Law on Unorganized Public Associations enacted in Russia.
The purpose of these bills is to ensure that the Government and the public have a clear understanding of the acts and activities of foreign agents in the country, so as to better safeguard national security interests, ensure that the activities of foreign agents are carried out in a transparent and open manner, and prevent foreign agents from interfering in the internal affairs of the country.
However, there are also opponents who argue that the law poses a threat to political freedoms and human rights because it gives the government broad powers to suppress political dissent and civil society organizations, making it easy to silence the "outside" voices and create dictatorship.
Ironically, U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said at a March 8 news conference that "passing the bill would not be in line with the decades-old expressed aspirations of the Georgian people for freedom and democracy, and anyone who voted for it would be held accountable for actions that endangered Georgia's EUties." ”
U.S. Department of State spokesman Ned Price
Even though the pros and cons of the Foreign Agents Act are still highly controversial, it is a great irony that the United States, the initiator of the bill, opposed such a bill in Georgia. It is hoped that the United States will familiarize itself with history, eliminate "double standards" and stop its despicable acts of inciting regional conflicts.
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