A leaked draft bill seen by POLITICO would target ruling party lawmakers and law enforcement officers, as well as possible Russian agents in the country.
POLITICO reports that a bill will be submitted to the US Congress that would freeze assets and impose visa bans on Georgian government officials who supported the Russian-style “foreign agents” law.
The publication reads that the text of the draft law, which they have seen, warns the ruling party and notes that “Tbilisi openly attacks the US and other Western pro-democracy organizations as well as local and international civil society organizations, while at the same time strengthening ties with Russia and China.” .
POLITICO writes, citing a source, that South Carolina Republican Congressman Joe Wilson will introduce the bill to Congress on Monday:
Its terms would oblige top American officials to brief Congress on “nodes of improper political influence, kleptocracy, and elite corruption in Georgia,” as well as on suspected Russian and Chinese intelligence assets operating in the South Caucasus country.
“As part of an effort at “protecting and securing democracy,” the draft law would mandate sanctions against government officials and others who “have material responsibility for undermining or injuring democracy, human rights, or security in Georgia.” It would introduce visa bans for politicians and the families of politicians who are responsible for the passage of “the recent Russia-style foreign agent legislation” targeting NGOs and media outlets that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad.
The penalties would also target Georgian law enforcement and the security services, who have clamped down on protests against the foreign agent bill. Authorities have responded to tens of thousands of people taking to the streets to demonstrate by deploying tear gas and water cannon, and beating and detaining activists and opposition politicians.
On a visit to Georgia last week, Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O’Brien warned if Georgia passed the foreign agent bill, “we will see restrictions coming from the United States” that affect the finances or travel of those behind it. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has said the foreign agent legislation entering into force would “compel us to fundamentally reassess our relationship with Georgia.”
The foreign agent bill passed its third reading in the Georgian parliament last week, but will require a majority of MPs to vote it through for a final time in the coming days after the country’s independent president exercised her symbolic veto power.
The government insists the law, which would brand NGOs that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad as foreign agents, is necessary to prevent foreign interference. But critics fear Georgian Dream will use it to crack down on media, the opposition and civil society.
Brussels has warned the law could torpedo Georgia’s hopes of joining the European Union. The EU granted Georgia candidate status in December despite warnings over backsliding on human rights and a failure to implement key reforms,” reads the article.
On May 18, President Salome Zurabishvili vetoed the Russian law. She claimed that the “Russian law” is not subject to any kind of change or improvement.
The United States has openly stated that if the law goes into effect, it will impose sanctions on those who support the law and their families, as well as those who abuse activists who oppose the law.
The Western partners claim that the adoption of this law will finally close the door of the European future for Georgia, because “there is no place for such legislation in Europe”.
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