At the time, these comments helped “facilitate violence by foreign-funded actors and support the revolutionary processes of the time”, he added.
Georgian security forces used tear gas and riot shields to disperse crowds of demonstrators protesting the law in Tbilisi on Tuesday evening, prompting Western politicians and local officials to express concerns over the police crackdown.
Georgian lawmakers passed the bill on Wednesday, despite growing public outrage and repeated warnings that the move could torpedo the country’s EU aspirations.
“The Georgian Dream’s legislation and anti-Western rhetoric place Georgia on a precarious trajectory,” the US State Department said in a statement on Wednesday, adding: “We urge authorities to allow non-violent protesters to continue to exercise their right to freedom of expression. expression.”
Kobakhidze retorted that he had not “expressed (his) concerns… regarding the brutal suppression of the student protest rally in New York”, apparently referring to the pro-Palestinian demonstrations at New York universities in which more 300 demonstrators were arrested. .
Supporters of the Foreign Agents Act within the Georgian Dream party say the bill is modeled after the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
However, FARA only applies to lobbyists actively working on behalf of other countries’ governments and communicating with lawmakers, whereas Georgia’s version of the law would apply to all civil society groups, media local and NGOs who receive up to 20 percent. of their funding from abroad, making it more similar to Russia’s foreign agents law that has been used to suppress dissent in the country.
Gabriel Gavin contributed reporting.
Politico
