Explained: Georgia adopts ‘foreign agents’ law after overriding presidential veto

Georgia’s parliament once again adopted the highly controversial “foreign agents” bill, on Tuesday (May 28) despite weeks of, often violent, protests with many criticising it for being similar to Russia’s repressive legislation. 

The legislation was first adopted on May 14 but was vetoed by the country's president.

What is the legislation about?

The so-called “foreign agents” law now requires organisations, including media outlets, nonprofits and other non-governmental organisations receiving more than 20 per cent of their funding from abroad to register as bodies “pursuing the interests of a foreign power.” 

WATCH | Georgia foreign agents bill protests: PM Irakli Kobakhidze vows to pass bill

The legislation pitched by the ruling Georgian Dream party also threatens the country’s bid to join the European Union. Meanwhile, the party has argued that the legislation is needed to enhance the transparency of NGO funding and protect the country from interference by the West. 

The former PM and the ruling party’s founder Bidzina Ivanishvili had spoken about how interference from Western powers could drag Georgia into a war with Russia, in which Georgians are used as cannon fodder.

A report by AFP has said the billionaire founder of the party, Ivanishvili, has made his fortune in Russia and also accused NGOs of plotting a revolution and being foreign puppets.

Presidential veto overridden

In an interview with CNN, earlier this month, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili called the legislation “an exact duplicate” of its Russian counterpart and vowed to veto the bill. 

However, it did not make a difference since Georgia’s government is a parliamentary system, where the president is a nominal head. Additionally, since the parliament is controlled by the ruling party they were able to override her veto. 

Lawmakers voted 84 to four to pass the bill after rejecting the presidential veto, on Tuesday (May 28). 

Also Read | Georgia parliament backs ‘foreign agent’ bill second reading amid protests

It is also worth noting that despite the ruling party’s anti-Western rhetoric, they want the country to join the 27-nation bloc as well as NATO. A report by Reuters citing a poll also said that Georgia’s 3.7 million people back EU accession. 

Over the years, Russia, which occupies about 20 per cent of Georgia’s internationally recognised territory, has used similar legislation to crack down on NGOs and independent news media who are critical of the Kremlin. 

The ruling Georgian Dream party re-introduced the bill in a shocking move last month, a year after shelving it due to a huge backlash.

In an interview with news agency AFP, earlier this month, Georgian Dream MP Nikoloz Samkharadze criticised the outrage over the bill and said it has “nothing to do with the Russian” version. 

However, the EU and international rights groups disagree. Several groups have decried the law as undemocratic, while the 27-nation bloc has indicated it is not compatible with membership of the EU. 

Mass protests, student walkout on May 13-14

Since April, thousands of Georgians have staged near-nightly protests against the proposed bill. On May 13, hundreds of university students in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi walked out of classes and joined thousands of protesters opposing the bill. 

Riot police in the country armed with water cannons and teargas have been accused of beating protesters who picketed outside Georgia’s parliament, on Monday (May 13) morning to try and stop a final vote.  

On May 12, several thousand protesters staged an all-night rally outside parliament but failed to prevent lawmakers from entering the parliament after the MPs managed to access the building from the back and pushed the bill through a parliamentary legal committee in less than two minutes. 

Also Read | Thousands of protesters rally against 'foreign agent' bill in Georgia

The critics of the bill and many protesters, as per AFP, said that they see the bill as a symbol of their government’s wider drift towards Russia. 

Georgia’s Interior Ministry said that at least 20 people, including two American citizens and one Russian national, were detained during the rallies, earlier this month. 

The country’s Special Investigation Service, which investigates allegations of police brutality said they have opened a case into claims of use of excessive force by police personnel during the protests on May 13 and 14. 

Criticism at home and abroad

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, on May 13 vowed to pass the bill claiming that the law enjoyed wide support in the country. 

However, mass protests continued on Tuesday (May 28) exactly two weeks after the bill was first adopted. The crowd gathered outside the parliament was shouting “Russian slaves!” during the vote. 

Leader of the opposition United National Movement (UNM) party, Tina Bokuchava, called on the opposition parties to rally together to rescind the legislation before the elections after the presidential veto was overturned. 

Bokuchava also voiced her concerns about the upcoming elections saying that the law could be used by authorities to throw a shroud over the election process.

"Georgian Dream understands that it would lose power should the elections be free and fair, and Georgia's vibrant civil sector can act against electoral violations," said the UNM leader as quoted by AFP. 

Parliamentary elections in the country are scheduled to be held on October 26. 

Less than 10 days after the legislation was first passed, the United States announced travel sanctions against Georgian officials “who are responsible for or complicit in undermining democracy in Georgia.” The move has since been criticised by Tbilisi. 

EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said that he “deeply regrets” the Georgian parliament’s adoption of the controversial legislation, on Tuesday (May 28) and warned that it would affect the country’s efforts to join the 27-nation bloc. 

The US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller after the presidential veto was overridden called the bill "anti-democratic" and said that it "fails to conform to European norms." He added, "The United States condemns this action." 

After the legislation was adopted, ministers from European nations and the three Baltic countries, in separate statements, also criticised the decision.

(With inputs from agencies)