Legislation forcing Western-financed NGOs to register with government has been denounced as Kremlin-inspired authoritarianism
26 May 2024 •
Georgia’s prime minister has accused the pro-West president of treason for opposing his controversial “foreign agents” law, which looks set to be forced through on Tuesday.
The law would force Western-financed NGOs to register with a government unit, in what critics and the US have denounced as an example of Kremlin-inspired authoritarianism that would crush civil society.
Relations between prime minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s ruling Georgian Dream party and Salome Zurabishvili, the president, have collapsed over the plans and sparked mass protests.
Speaking at an Independence Day ceremony in central Tbilisi on Sunday, Mr Kobakhidze took aim at Ms Zurabishvili, who was seated a few feet away, as he touted Georgia’s neutrality in the war between Russia and Ukraine.
“The unity of the people and the government has allowed us over the past two years to maintain peace in the country despite existential threats and various betrayals, including the betrayal of the president,” Mr Kobakhidze said.
The law has triggered some of the biggest protests in Georgia since it gained independence from the Soviet Union more than 30 years ago, while police have responded with tear gas and water cannon.
Ms Zurabishvili, born in France, has been hailed as a hero by demonstrators who see her as critical to their opposition.
On Sunday she used her speech at the Independence Day military event to denounce the Georgian Dream government as a “Soviet relic”.
“The Soviet relic is the subordination of state interests to the interests of the leader and the party. Our mentality and memory must be liberated from the Soviet relic,” she said.
On Monday, the Georgian Dream-dominated parliament will begin a special session to consider Ms Zurabishvili’s veto of the foreign agents law.
They are only obliged to consider her objections, meaning the law is likely to pass on Tuesday and spark more protests.
Tom de Waal, senior fellow at the Carnegie Europe think tank, said that Georgia was at a “dangerous” moment.
“Georgia is in crisis. For once, the cliche that a country is at a turning point is justified,” he said.
Georgia fought a war against Russia in 2008 but it has avoided backing Ukraine since the Kremlin’s invasion. Instead, it has strengthened links with Moscow and pushed the foreign agents law, infuriating Western officials.
EU officials have said that if the law is passed Georgia’s candidate status for the bloc will be withdrawn. The US has already imposed travel and financial sanctions on key Georgian government officials.
The Georgia Dream party, which is bankrolled by a reclusive billionaire with links to the Kremlin, came to power in 2012. It has been accused of backsliding on human rights and expanding its grip over state institutions and security forces.
Kobakhidze is a scrote every bit as nasty as the DT’s photo suggests.
I want “Georgia Nightmare” to be banished to putlerstan and Mrs Zurabishvili remaining as president, but with executive powers as per Saakash’s time.
The story is of concern to the putinaZis and kremtrolls swamped the comments. Here is a question from a non-troll, but who is misinformed:
Charles de Freitas
So what exactly is wrong with having to show that your erstwhile national organization is, in fact, bought and paid for by an altruistic foreign organization — or perhaps foreign power?
A Georgian replies:
Reply by Maia Chankseliani. Reply to Charles de Freitas The bill mandates that non-governmental organisations and media outlets receiving more than 20 percent of their funding from outside Georgia register as entities “pursuing the interests of a foreign power,” or face severe fines.
Both organisations and individuals in Georgia would be subject to reporting requirements and might have to disclose sensitive information, including health and sexuality details. Non-compliance would result in heavy penalties.
The law mirrors one in Russia, which the Kremlin has used to suppress opposition and civil society. Many Georgians fear their foreign agents law will similarly stifle dissent and free expression by targeting NGOs with overseas financial ties. In Russia, this legislation has devastated non-profits and human rights groups, forcing many to shut down.
Georgian Dream stands to gain from the foreign agent law ahead of parliamentary elections in October. Civil society in Georgia has historically had a significant impact on politics, notably in the 2012 elections through voter education and election monitoring.
However, Georgian NGOs and civil society organisations are heavily dependent on international donors, receiving over 90 percent of their funding from foreign sources, according to a 2020 report. Targeting these funding streams just before the elections seems to be a strategic move by the ruling party to silence influential and potentially opposing voices.
Yet another example of the demagogic propaganda method of accusing the political enemy of exactly the crime that the own side is guilty of. But for realistic observers, there can’t be any doubt who the traitors are in Georgia. It’s the sellout Ivanishvili and his minions! 👿
What an obvious damned jerk.