Deputies clashed in Georgian parliament
Georgia started the new week with a lively…
Deputies in Georgia came face to face today in the parliament building in the capital, Tbilisi, over a controversial bill.
Before the draft law, which envisages a regulation of “foreign element”, similar to that of Georgia’s neighbor Russia, was voted, some deputies came face to face. While the opponents of the bill explained that this move could cause a process similar to the one in Russia, the verbal squabbles of the deputies in the legal affairs committee soon flared up.
In the draft law, institutions and organizations that receive more than 20 percent of their budget from other countries are expected to be registered as “foreign elements” and to be followed by the ministry by notifying the Ministry of Justice in this direction. Institutions may face heavy penalties if an official application is not made to the Georgian Ministry of Justice.
Iraqi Pavlenishvili, who opposes the bill, said, “The bill used by Russia does not serve Georgia’s national interests and is against our European dream. The international community and the people of Georgia agree on this issue,” he said. Opposition politicians said that the draft law implemented in Russia in 2012 had a negative impact on civilian life and independent media.
