Non-governmental organizations in Georgia have called on the public to assemble outside Parliament today at 7 p.m. to voice their opposition to the foreign transparency bill.
The upcoming parliamentary session will see the second reading of the contentious bill, which has sparked significant debate and opposition within Georgian society. In a joint statement released on Tuesday, around 20 non-governmental organizations underscored the perceived threat the law poses to Georgian democracy and its potential to hinder the nation's aspirations for European Union integration.
Nino Dolidze, executive director of ISFED, delivered the statement, highlighting recent government statements as “further evidence” of alleged troubling implications of the law.
Civil society groups asserted that comments made by ruling party founder and its honorary chair Bidzina Ivanishvili the previous day suggested a willingness to employ the law for repressive purposes, including election manipulation and censorship.
During a Tbilisi rally organized by the ruling party to support the bill, Ivanishvili alleged that from 2004-12, Georgia was under the control of a "foreign agency" manipulated by the "Global War Party".
He claimed that individuals from the previous government were appointed as leaders "following a revolution orchestrated by NGOs" and contended, "to this day, they are driven by the desire to reinstate the inhumane, sadistic dictatorship of the same individuals in Georgia."
Ivanishvili further asserted that the "global war party" instigated tensions between Russia and Georgia, and subsequently between Russia and Ukraine.
Ivanishvili asserted that the timing was "perfect" for introducing bills against "agents" and "LGBT propaganda", with one of the objectives being to neutralize the "agency" ahead of the upcoming general elections in autumn.
The "draft law on the transparency of foreign influence" was officially passed by the Parliament of Georgia in its first reading during the plenary session on April 17, garnering 83 votes.
Critics argue that the bill's requirement for organizations to register if they receive over 20 percent of their funding from foreign sources is a thinly veiled effort to stifle dissent and impede Georgia's progress towards European integration.
