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
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Polad Aslanov, founder of the religious website xeberman.com, who went on hunger strike in the colony on 4 November, was forcibly transferred to the Penitentiary Service hospital in the evening of the same day. This was reported to Turan by his wife Gulmira Aslanov.
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The Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Azerbaijan is pleased to announce the preopening of the Ukrainian Center in Baku, scheduled for 9 November 2024 at 12 pm. The Ukrainian Center, originally established to promote Ukrainian culture, language, heritage and education in Azerbaijan, has been renovated and expanded to better serve its mission.
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The health condition of activist Nijat Ibrahim has sharply worsened while he remains in Baku's Detention Center No. 1, his wife Parvin Ibrahim told Turan news agency. According to her, Ibrahim called today to report severe back pain, and he can barely move. Recently, his blood pressure has also risen, and doctors have diagnosed him with hypertension.
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On Sunday, November 5, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Kyrgyzstan to participate in the 11th Summit of Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States. Upon his arrival at Manas 2 International Airport in Bishkek, Aliyev was greeted with a ceremonial honor guard and welcomed by Kyrgyzstan’s Prime Minister and Chief of Staff, Akylbek Japarov, along with other officials.
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