TBILISI, March 8. /TASS/. Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili addressed protestors in Tbilisi from New York late on Tuesday in a show of support for those rallying against the bill on foreign agents.
"I’m addressing you, those who gathered tonight on Rustaveli [Avenue], where I also used to stand many times in the past. But now I’m standing in New York, and the Statue of Liberty is right behind my back. It is a symbol of what Georgia has always fought for, and of why we keep fighting today. I’m with you, because you represent free Georgia now," Zourabichvili said in a video address, released on Tuesday.
The president went on to say that, in her opinion, the bill should be rejected, and reaffirmed her readiness to veto it.
She also claimed that the bill was "possibly signed under Moscow’s instructions," but presented no evidence to prove her allegations.
Zourabichvili arrived in New York on a working visit on March 5 to participate in the 67th Commission on the Status of Women. The Georgian leader has already delivered its address to the event’s participants. She was also scheduled to visit Yale University and Harward University, but had to cancel all meetings in New York amid the unrest in her home country.
Georgian lawmakers passed the bill on foreign agents in the first reading on Tuesday. During the parliamentary session, thousands of the bill’s opponents gathered outside the parliament building. They tried to block a staff entrance, through which lawmakers were supposed to leave the building. This led to clashes with police, during which tear gas and water cannons were used to disperse the crowd.
In February, the Georgian parliament registered two versions of the foreign agents bill, namely a Georgian iteration and an American one, the latter being a translation of the US Foreign Agents Registration Act. Under the Georgian version, a foreign agent is defined as a legal entity, including a media outlet, that receives more than 20% of its financing from foreign sources. The bill would not apply to individuals, whereas the US version applies to both legal entities and individuals, and stipulates criminal liability.
The initiative to enshrine the concept of foreign agents in law has given rise to serious criticism by both Georgia’s opposition and Western politicians. Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili promised to veto the bill if it is passed, whereas its initiators, the Power of the People public movement and the leaders of the ruling Georgian Dream Party, contend that the law is needed to ensure the transparency of entities financed from abroad. They plan to refer the bill to the Venice Commission after it passes in the first reading.