Recent protests in the central Asian nation of Georgia have centered on proposed legislation that critics argue would erode media freedom and hinder entrance to the EU.
TBILISI, Georgia — Georgia has been engulfed by huge protests triggered by a proposed law that critics see as a threat to media freedom and the country’s aspirations to join the European Union.
The governing party says the bill is necessary to stem what it deems as harmful foreign influence over the country’s political scene and to prevent unidentified foreign actors from trying to destabilize the country’s political scene. The opposition denounces the bill as 'the Russian law' because Moscow uses similar legislation to stigmatize independent news media and organizations critical of the Kremlin.
Russia-Georgia relations have been strained and turbulent since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. In August 2008, Russia fought a brief war with Georgia, which had made a botched attempt to regain control over the breakaway province of South Ossetia. Moscow then recognized South Ossetia and another separatist province, Abkhazia, as independent states and beefed up its military presence there.
foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has described the parliament’s move as 'a very concerning development' and warned that 'final adoption of this legislation would negatively impact Georgia’s progress on its EU path.' 'This law is not in line with EU core norms and values,' Borrell said in a statement last month.
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Why did bill to stem ‘foreign influence’ trigger protests in Georgia over country's media freedom?Georgia has been engulfed by huge protests triggered by a proposed law that critics see as a threat to media freedom and the country’s aspirations to join the European Union.
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Why did bill to stem ‘foreign influence’ trigger protests in Georgia over country's media freedom?Georgia has been engulfed by huge protests triggered by a proposed law that critics see as a threat to media freedom and the country’s aspirations to join the European Union
Read more »
Why did bill to stem ‘foreign influence’ trigger protests in Georgia over country's media freedom?Georgia has been engulfed by huge protests triggered by a proposed law that critics see as a threat to media freedom and the country’s aspirations to join the European Union.
Read more »
Why did bill to stem ‘foreign influence’ trigger protests in Georgia over country's media freedom?Georgia has been engulfed by huge protests triggered by a proposed law that critics see as a threat to media freedom and the country’s aspirations to join the European Union.
Read more »
Georgia's governing party tries again to pass widely criticized foreign-agent lawThe governing party in the country of Georgia has submitted to parliament a draft law calling for media and non-commercial organizations to register as being under foreign influence if they receive more than 20% of their budget from abroad.
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Georgia's governing party tries again to pass widely criticized foreign-agent lawThe governing party in the country of Georgia has submitted to parliament a draft law calling for media and non-commercial organizations to register as being under foreign influence if they receive more than 20% of their budget from abroad
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