EU “threatened” Georgia by expelling from Creative Europe if not adopted assembly bill – Kobakhidze

Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday claimed the European Union had “threatened” Georgia by expelling from Creative Europe Programme if the Parliament would not have adopted changes that bans the installation of tents and other constructions during rallies, vetoed by the president and slammed by the opposition as “vague” and “targeted against freedom of expression”. 

 

In his press comments, Kobakhidze claimed the adoption of the bill by the Parliament on October 5, before the President vetoed it on October 17 as a “threat” to freedom of expression, was not a recommendation, but a “demand” from the bloc. 

 

The bill, which came following the statement by the country’s State Security Service in September about an alleged “unrest” by opposition groups this fall, bans the installation of temporary constructions if they “pose threats to demonstrators or other individuals”, hamper police activities or nearby facilities, or are not related to a specific rally.