Human Rights Watch: "Foreign agents" bill threatens fundamental rights in Georgia
HRW on Georgian “foreign agents” bill
The international human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) has issued a statement indicating that the “Transparency of Foreign Influence” bill, which requires certain non-governmental groups and media to register as “organizations representing the interests of a foreign state,” threatens fundamental rights in Georgia. Additionally, HRW notes that this bill is similar to the Russian “foreign agents” law.
The statement emphasizes that the bill does not align with the legislative commitments Georgia has undertaken by joining the European Convention on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
According to the organization, international law allows for certain limitations on freedom of expression and association, but this bill “goes far beyond any legitimate interference with these rights.”
- The Prime Minister of Georgia compared the protesting youth to the killer of the famous Ilia Chavchavadze
- “Quo vadis, Georgia?” – EU Special representative for the South Caucasus
- “Building a database of violent individuals,”- the speaker of Georgian Parliament
HRW also believes that the parliament ‘should reject the consideration of the bill at the final hearing,’ and the government should ensure compliance with fundamental rights to freedom of assembly and expression, as well as conduct effective investigations into all allegations of excessive use of force by the police.
‘By labeling independent groups and media as serving foreign interests, they intend to marginalize and suppress critical voices in the country, which are the cornerstone of any functioning democracy,’ says Hugh Williamson, HRW’s director of the Europe & Central Asia division.
