Jeanne Shaheen, a member of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Chairman of the European and Regional Security Cooperation Subcommittee, and Jim Risch, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, announced that 10 more senators are going to support the bipartisan Georgian People’s Act.
They say American senators Tom Tillis, Mitt Romney, Jeff Merkley, John Cornini, Chris Murphy, Dan Sullivan – Chairman of the International Republican Institute (IRI), Angus King, Todd Young, Sheldon Whitehouse, and George Helmy have requested to join the senators’ Georgian People’s Act when the Senate reconvenes in November.
“I am glad that a significant number of my colleagues in the Senate supported the Georgian People’s Act and realized that the current situation in Georgia cannot be postponed. Together, we are sending a clear message that there is solid bipartisan support for our legislation, our support for the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of the Georgian people. Our position on Georgia will remain unchanged regardless of which party controls Washington,” Senator Jeanne Shaheen said.
Senator Jim Risch also emphasized that the bill sends a strong message from Congress that the United States stands with the people of Georgia as they strive for a transatlantic community.
“We recognize the desire of the Georgian people for European integration, and we are ready to implement US policies that support their ability to achieve this,” Risch said.
The Georgian People’s Act includes two main parts:
First:
1. To outline the consequences that will be imposed on the representatives of the Georgian government and individuals who are responsible for hindering the Euro-Atlantic integration of Georgia. It requires the State Department to impose travel restrictions on Georgian individuals and their family members for participating in the promotion and support of the “Foreign Agents” law; new sanctions should be imposed on those persons who are responsible for undermining the stability, sovereignty or territorial integrity of Georgia; demands that sanctions be imposed on those Georgian individuals who are responsible for human rights violations and corruption;
2. Demands that the State Department develop a long-term strategy for Georgia, including reviewing military aid, and demands that the US government suspend all funding that supports the Georgian government;
3. Calling for a long suspension of the US-Georgia strategic dialogue.
Second:
1. Emphasizes the commitment of the US Senate to support the civil society of Georgia in the light of recent events;
2. Allocates at least 50 million US dollars to support democracy and rule of law development projects in Georgia;
3. Demands that the State Department and the US Agency for International Development determine how to continue supporting Georgian civil society in light of recent developments;
4. Two reporting requirements to assess (1) the extent of foreign influence in Georgia and (2) efforts to support Georgian political prisoners.
The Georgia People’s Act is a package authored by Senators Jin Shaheen and Jim Risch.
Based on the draft law, travel bans and other sanctions will be imposed on those Georgian politicians who are responsible for “obstructing Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration”, as well as “corruption, human rights violations and drafting and facilitating the adoption of the ‘Foreign Agents” law’.”
