US imposes visa restrictions on Georgian officials over foreign agents law
Citizens in Georgia protest against the so-called Russian law on foreign influence, Tbilisi May 1, 2024, Reuters
The United States has imposed visa restrictions on dozens of Georgian officials in response to the enactment of a controversial foreign agents law. This action came after lawmakers in Georgia voted to override a presidential veto.
According to the State Department on Thursday, the initial round of visa restrictions targets members of the Georgian Dream party, parliamentarians, law enforcement officials, and private citizens.
State Department spokesman Matt Miller, speaking at a press briefing, expressed the hope that Georgia’s leaders would reconsider their actions and take steps to advance the nation’s democratic and Euro-Atlantic aspirations. However, he warned that if they did not, the U.S. was prepared to take additional actions. Miller stated that the U.S. remains deeply concerned about the Georgian Dream party’s “anti-democratic actions,” as well as its recent statements and rhetoric, which he said risk derailing Georgia’s European future.
The Georgian officials facing visa restrictions are accused of undermining democracy by impeding freedoms of peaceful assembly and association, violently attacking peaceful protesters, intimidating civil society representatives, and spreading disinformation at the direction of the Georgian government.
On Monday, Georgia’s Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili signed the controversial “foreign agents” bill into law. The law on Transparency of Foreign Influence requires organizations, including media outlets, that receive more than 20% of their funding from overseas to register with the state and publish annual financial reports. Initially introduced in March 2023, the law was shelved after triggering mass protests that resulted in the arrest of 66 people and the injury of more than 50 law enforcement officers. However, it was reintroduced to parliament in April, reigniting the protests.
Critics argue that the law would undermine democracy, labeling it a “Russian law,” but members of the ruling majority argue that it would increase transparency.
