India needs this: Georgian law calls for media, nonprofits and other ngos to declare they’re “pursuing the interests of a foreign power”

[CaptainMaverick]

 if they receive more than 20% of their funding from sources abroad.

Georgian lawmakers on Tuesday voted to override a presidential veto on the Russia-style “foreign agents” law.

"The U.S., European Union, NATO and the United Nations have all expressed concern about the bill, which opposition lawmakers have denounced as the “Russian law.” LOL

 

 

The foreign agents law calls for media outlets, nonprofits and other nongovernmental organizations in the country to declare that they are “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they receive more than 20% of their funding from sources abroad.

Russia, which occupies about 20% of Georgia’s internationally recognized territory, has used similar legislation to crack down on independent news media and activists critical of the Kremlin.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili vetoed the controversial legislation on May 18, saying on social media platform X that the “fundamentally Russian” law represents “an obstacle to our European path.”

Zourabichvili, a critic of the ruling Georgian Dream government, has called for a repeal of the law.

The Georgian Dream party has insisted that the legislation is necessary, despite the law triggering some of the largest demonstrations the country has seen since declaring independence from the Soviet Union more than 30 years ago.

 

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has said the bill will create “strong guarantees” to help ensure long-lasting peace in the country.

Paid Demonstrators protesting the “foreign influence” law crowd outside the parliament building in central Tbilisi on May 28, 2024.