?????? Is Georgia definitely turning to authoritarianism? A new law sets off alarm bells

Georgia's ruling?Georgian Dream?party has introduced a?draft law on "foreign agents"?that seeks to?register?all non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and media outlets that obtain?more than 20 percent?of their funding from abroad as?"agents of foreign influence."?This will not only explicitly challenge their work, but will also have significant administrative consequences.

Both the opposition and the organizations and media involved have been protesting for weeks now against this law, which they say is intended to?undermine freedom of the press and freedom of expression. According to leading Georgian civil society leaders,?more than 60 media and civil society groups have said they would not comply with the law?if it is finally passed. Just yesterday a parliamentary debate ended in a fistfight between several deputies.

The country's president,?Salome Zourabichvili, who is not part of the Georgian Dream party, has said that she?will veto?this bill if it is passed in parliament. That said,?the parliament can override that veto, so if the Georgian Dream is determined to pass it, the president's action will only serve to?buy time.

The Law has also aroused?enormous concern abroad, and has triggered international reactions such as that of the US State Department spokesman?Ned Price, who has gone so far as to say that this draft legislation goes against the European aspirations of the Georgian people and against human rights.?

At this point, we cannot forget that Georgia is a country that aspires to become a?firm candidate for joining the European Union. A status that, however, has been rejected on several occasions, the last one in June 2022, largely due to the?drift of the current government.

Why is it important?

The law has important similarities to another law?passed in Russia in 2012?that has served Vladimir Putin's regime to?crush media dissent?and opposition political pressure groups.

If passed, this draft law could seriously jeopardize Georgia's democracy and stability and, of course, could also put an end to any aspirations for future membership in the European Union.