USAID chief calls on Georgian parliament to drop foreign agents bills

The USAID chief Samantha Power on Thursday called on the Georgian parliament to drop the foreign agents bills proposed by former members of the ruling Georgian Dream party who still remain in the parliamentary majority. 

“Georgia’s proposed foreign agent laws gravely threaten Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic future and the ability of Georgians to fulfill their own economic, social, and other aspirations. I call upon the Georgian Parliament to drop these proposed laws”, the US official tweeted. 

Two bills by the People’s Power movement that envisages the registration of “non-commercial legal entities and media outlets as agents of foreign influence if they receive more than 20 percent of their income from abroad”, was approved with its first hearing on Thursday at the joint session of the Foreign Relations and Defence Committees. 

The ruling party claimed the bills were approved “at the level of principles”, while the final decision would be made after the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe made its recommendations. 

The authors said two bills – one Georgia version and another based on the US version of such a law – had been sent to the commission for opinion. 

The US Embassy and almost all foreign missions and organizations called the bills a “Russian law” that could stigmatize and restrict the activities of pro-western civil and media organizations in the country, which are critical to the government. 

Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling party, however challenged the claims as “lies”, saying the bills were “in full accordance” with democratic standards. 

The discussion in the parliament on Thursday took place amid protests in and outside the legislative body.