German political foundations represented in Georgia have expressed deep concern regarding the Russian-style law proposed by the ruling Georgian Dream. As they say, the review of the law fundamentally damages the country's international reputation and its relations with Western partners.
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"If the law is adopted, it would significantly harm the work of Georgian civil society organizations (CSOs) and independent media, which have contributed immensely to the democratization process of Georgia. It would further shrink the space for critical voices and promote polarization." said the statement signed by the Heinrich Böll, Friedrich Ebert, Friedrich Naumann, and Konrad Adenauer foundations.
The German foundations state that the citizens of Georgia have repeatedly expressed their strong desire for a European future for Georgia and express their categorical opposition to the law.
"We share the criticism of the law uttered by many respected institutions. We urge the Parliament of Georgia to take the concerns of Georgian and international stakeholders seriously and vote down the law. CSOs and independent media have been our valuable partners since we started our activities in Georgia over two decades ago,” the foundations declare, pointing out that if the law is adopted, their activities, which are of vital importance for Georgia, will face serious obstacles.
"In addition, we deeply regret that the adoption would run counter to Georgia's constitutional commitment "to ensure the full integration of Georgia into the European Union," we read in the statement.
On April 3, 2024, Georgian Dream once again initiated in the parliament the Russian Law on so-called Foreign Agents, which was withdrawn a year ago as a result of thousands of protests, and promised to never accept it again. The Russian Law requires independent media and non-governmental organizations that operate with grant support from international organizations and cannot be controlled by the government or related groups to register as foreign agents. On April 17, 83 members of Parliament supported the Russian law in the first reading. Today, April 29, the Russian Law will be discussed in the second reading at the session of the Parliament Legal Affairs Committee.
