Friends of the Earth Europe deeply condemns a proposed bill in Georgia that will suppress NGO’s and independent media organisations in the country.
The Georgian ruling party intends to go ahead with the adoption of the ‘foreign agent’ bill. A piece of legislation that will classify almost any type of civil society organisation as “bearing the interests of a foreign power” when they receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad.
Many Georgian organisations working on vital issues including human rights, climate change, and education are able to operate because of foreign funding. The rhetoric behind the justification for this law, which is backed by the majority in Parliament, is deeply concerning as it stigmatises NGOs, independent media and civil society organisations in Georgia. Similarly to the legislation that is used in Russia to suppress dissents, the bill poses a severe threat to the existence of civil society and the operations of non-governmental organizations, as well as suppressing them.
Free media expression and a thriving civil society are key to Georgia’s process to become part of the EU. The adoption of this law jeopardises Georgia’s democracy as well as its EU integration process.
FoEE stands in solidarity with Friends of the Earth Georgia and the Georgian population. We deeply condemn this attack on democracy and human rights and deplore the violence that is used by the authorities to repress protesters.
