Tbilisi, Mar. 9, (dpa/GNA) - Lawmakers in Georgia have withdrawn a “foreign agents” bill following days of protests against it, the ruling Georgian Dream party said on Thursday.
The surprise announcement comes after the parliament in the South Caucasus republic approved the proposed law called “On Transparency of Foreign Influence” in a first reading on Tuesday.
The proposal, which targets the disclosure of money flows from abroad, sparked two days of mass demonstrations in the capital Tbilisi because critics fear it is a way for the government to crack down on the opposition.
“We see that the bill has led to disagreements in society,” Georgian Dream said. “In view of all this, we … have decided to withdraw the bill we support without reservations.”
Protesters and civil rights activists worried that adoption of the law would undermine Georgia’s democracy and dim the country’s chances of joining the European Union, which has criticized the law.
The proposed law, similar to legislation in Russia, would have classified non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and media outlets that are partly funded from abroad as “foreign agents.”
US State Department spokesman Ned Price on Wednesday warned that the “Kremlin-inspired” draft law was “incompatible with the people of Georgia’s clear desire for European integration and its democratic development.”
The foreign ministers of the Baltic states Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, who also have a Soviet past, also expressed concern in a joint statement on Wednesday.
“We call on the Parliament of Georgia to responsibly assess the real interests of the country and refrain from decisions that may undermine aspirations of Georgia’s people to live in a democratic country which is advancing towards the EU and NATO,” wrote the chief diplomats of the three countries, which are members of both organizations.
Georgian authorities used tear gas and water cannon to disperse demonstrators during the protests on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Sixty-six people were arrested on Tuesday alone.
GNA