Seven opposition parties are demanding that the ruling Georgian Dream unconditionally withdraw the Russian Law on so-called Foreign Agents. Their joint statement asserts that the ruling party is attempting to deceive Georgian society and international partners.
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The public statements made by representatives of Georgian Dream regarding cosmetic changes to the Russian Law, and their attempts to embellish this anti-state, anti-constitutional, anti-European initiative, are an endeavor to mislead both the united and strong Georgian society and our international partners.
Due to Ivanishvili's Russian initiative, a significant portion of our population has fallen victim to psychological and physical terror. Not only criminal groups organized by the state, but also police units of the Internal Affairs Ministry, are involved in terrorizing opponents of the law.
Ivanishvili has turned political repressions into the daily life of our people, severely damaging Georgia's international image and putting our European and Euro-Atlantic future under attack.
Therefore, we, the democratic opposition, will not accept an embellished version of the Russian law. This law cannot be improved and must be unconditionally withdrawn. For the European future of Georgia, we continue our united opposition to the Russian Law and the Russian regime," reads the statement signed by Lelo, Ahali, Strategy Aghmashenebeli, Droa, Girchi - More Freedom, the Republican Party, and the United National Movement.
During the week of May 13, the parliament plans to conduct the third reading of the Russian Law proposed by Georgian Dream. The ruling party intends to adopt the law during the plenary session scheduled for May 14.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stated that from May 14 to 28, there is a possibility to reconcile positions regarding the law within the framework of the veto procedure. When asked by a journalist if Georgian Dream is prepared to make changes to the bill, Kobakhidze responded, "Of course. So what's the point of the discussion? We will receive legal notices, and we are talking about sharing that."
On April 3, 2024, Georgian Dream once again initiated the Russian Law on so-called Foreign Agents in parliament. This law had been withdrawn a year ago due to thousands of protests, with a promise never to accept it again. The Russian Law requires independent media and non-governmental organizations operating with grant support from international funds, which cannot be controlled by the government or related groups, to register as Foreign Agents. More than 150 non-governmental and media organizations issued a statement declaring that they will not register in the "defamation register" under any circumstances.
