“We are closely monitoring the situation, particularly closely monitoring the protests. And we call on all parties to respect freedom and peaceful assembly, and exercise restraint and avoid any escalatory or violent actions and respect the rule of law,” The Deputy Spokesperson of the US State Department stated in response to a question about Georgia.
News
Trending stories
- 1 Marauding Kadyrovites Among Masked Raiders in Tbilisi - Editor's Column
- 2 Presidential Candidate Mikheil Kavelashvili Lacks Higher Education
- 3 Fischer: Heidelberg Cement Exits Georgian Market, One of Germany's Largest Investments
- 4 Online Journalists Banned from Parliament Indefinitely
- 5 Putin Expresses Surprise at Georgian Authorities' Courage
- 6 12 Found Dead in Bedroom of Indian Restaurant in Gudauri
Vedant Patel expressed ongoing deep concern regarding the "Foreign Agents" Bill and its first reading. The State Department is particularly worried that the law stigmatizes and targets civil society and media organizations.
“Our viewpoint is that similar legislation has been used by the Kremlin and elsewhere to stigmatize and repress civil society organizations, media organizations, and so such kind of legislative activity, it’s not appropriate if your intended goal is to foster transparency,” Vedant Patel stated.
On the same day, a statement was released by State Department spokesman Matthew Miller. He referred to the bill resubmitted by Georgian Dream as Kremlin-inspired and urged the government not to accept it. Matthew Miller stated that "Such Kremlin-inspired legislation is not appropriate if the goal is to promote transparency”.
Despite thousands of protests and criticism from international partners, Georgian Dream adopted the bill with 83 votes in the first reading. According to the procedure, next week, it should be discussed again by the legal committee, after which it will go to the plenary session. For the bill to become law, the Parliament must pass it in three readings.
Thousands of protests against the Russian law are taking place near the parliament. On April 16, late at night, members of the special purpose squad used pepper spray against the participants of the peaceful demonstration. They chased the citizens from street to street and physically assaulted them, also beating the media representatives. Several participants in the rally were hospitalized due to the injuries they received.
As assessed by the international human rights organization Amnesty International, the police conducted a punitive operation rather than aiding a peaceful demonstration.
At the April 15 rally, 14 citizens were administratively arrested, 11 on April 16, and 2 on April 17. Irakli Kupradze, the general secretary of the Lelo party, was arrested, and the police assaulted him. Law enforcement officers also beat Aleko Elisashvili, a member of parliament and leader of the Citizens party, who participated in the rally in front of the government chancellery and demanded a meeting with Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze. The deputy stated that he has a broken rib.
The European Union also urged the Georgian government to refrain from adopting legislation that could endanger Georgia's path to the European Union. In response, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stated that "in fact, the law is European" and that "it will not separate Georgia from Europe but will, in fact, bring us closer to the goal of integrating into the European Union in a qualitative manner."
