EU and US urge Georgia to halt ‘foreign agents’ bill and not turn away from West after mass protests

European Union officials say passing the law – which critics say is inspired by the Kremlin’s crackdown on dissent – would harm Georgia’s prospects of joining the EU

Demonstrations in Tbilisi on Thursday outside the parliament (EPA)

The government of Georgia is under international pressure to abandon its plans to designate certain organisations “foreign agents”.

The European Union said the bill – which would require organisations receiving more than 20 per cent of their funding from abroad to register as agents of foreign influence – would damage the country’s hopes of joining the EU, while the US government said the bill could stifle dissent and free speech.

The proposals have sparked mass protests and a deepening political crisis in the country.

Georgia’s parliament has approved the second reading of the bill, which the opposition says is inspired by a similar law in Russia. It called the bill potentially authoritarian.

It came as police fired tear gas and stun grenades to clear a large crowd of protesters in the capital Tbilisi.

The government says the law is needed to ensure that foreign funding of NGOs is transparent, but critics say it could fuel a Russian-style crackdown on dissent.

A similar bill became law in Russia in 2012, and has since been used to suppress those criticising the Kremlin and Russian president Vladimir Putin, including prominent cultural figures, media organisations and civil society groups.

An ever-growing number of demonstrators have been taking to the street nightly for almost a month. A heaving crowd, tens of thousands strong, shut down central Tbilisi on Wednesday in the largest anti-government rally yet.

Demonstrators wave Georgia’s national flag in protest at the so-called ‘Russian law’ (AP)

Gert Jan Koopman, director general of the European Commission’s enlargement directorate, told reporters in the Georgian capital that Brussels was monitoring the situation and was worried by what was happening.

“There are concerning developments in terms of legislation. The law that has been passed on transparency in the second reading as it stands is unacceptable, and will create serious obstacles for the EU accession path,” said Mr Koopman.

It comes after Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, tweeted: “The Georgian people want a European future for their country ... It should stay the course on the road to Europe.”

Mr Koopman added: “There is still time. We will draw up our recommendations [on whether to start EU accession talks with Georgia] in September and issue our report in October-November, so there is still time. But the ball is very firmly in the court of the government.”

Police block protests outside the Georgia parliament in Tbilisi early on Thursday (EPA)

The White House said on Thursday that it would hate to see anything move forward that would impinge on free speech rights in Georgia.

“We’re deeply concerned by this legislation – what it could do in terms of stifling dissent, and free speech,” White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said at a news briefing. “There’s a vibrant civil society there.”

The Georgian parliament is expected to consider the bill in a third reading in around two weeks.

The ruling Georgian Dream party’s billionaire founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, in a rare speech on Monday, said Georgia needed to defend its sovereignty against foreign attempts to control it, and suggested opponents of the bill were acting in the interests of the West.

The stand-off is seen as part of a wider struggle that could determine whether Georgia, a country of 3.7 million people that has seen turmoil, war and revolution since the collapse of the Soviet Union, moves closer towards Europe or back under Moscow’s influence.

Georgia’s parliament cancelled a session following the protests against the second reading on Wednesday night. The parliament said the cancellation of Thursday’s plenary session was connected to damage the building suffered during the protest, with police using water cannon, teargas and pepper spray against the tens of thousands of demonstrators. Another demonstration was planned for Thursday evening.

In its second reading, 83 of Georgia’s 150 legislators approved the bill, while 23 voted against it.

Georgian president Salome Zourabichvili, increasingly at odds with the governing party, has criticised the bill and vowed to veto it if it is passed by parliament. But the governing party can overrule the veto and ask the parliamentary speaker to sign the bill into law.

Reuters