U.S. Says "Foreign Agents" Law Would Derail Georgia From Its European Path
The United States said on Monday that it had conveyed its "deep concern" over controversial "foreign agent" law to Georgia's ruling party, days before its lawmakers introduced the contentious bill in a parliamentary session.
The bill, which would tighten rules around civil society funding, on Monday passed its first stage and will now be put before a parliamentary committee over the coming weeks.
"We are deeply concerned that, if it is enacted, this draft legislation would harm civil society organizations working to improve the lives of Georgian citizens," State Department's spokesperson Matthew Miller told a daily briefing when responding to TURAN's questions.
"It would derail Georgia from its European path, and we are concerned that the legislation would impede independent media organizations working to provide access for Georgian citizens to high-quality information," he went on to add.
In the meantime, Miller refrained from commenting on any potential outcomes or potential steps that Washington might take if the bill passes.
"Right now we are making clear that we are concerned with this draft legislation. With respect to what we might do if it moves forward, stay tuned," he replied when pressed further.
Politics
-
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (OPHRD), a joint program of the World Organization against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), has called for the urgent release of activist Rufat Safarov from prison in Azerbaijan. It has launched a campaign in support of the Azerbaijani human rights defender. https://www.omct.org/en/resources/urgent-interventions/arbitrary-detention-and-judicial-harassment-against-rufat-safarov
-
This year, the laureate of the annual Nargiz Prize, awarded for efforts in the fight for democracy, was Akif Gurbanov, chairman of the board of the Resplatforma (Platform of the III Republic) movement, who is under arrest.
-
The U.S. will prohibit the issuing of visas for nearly a dozen more individuals responsible for undermining democracy in Georgia, bringing the total number to over 100, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.
-
The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, has expressed condolences to the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, following the tragic incident in the city of Magdeburg. "We are deeply shocked by the news of the deaths and injuries resulting from the tragic incident that took place at the Christmas market in Magdeburg," the message reads.
Leave a review