TBILISI, March 10. /TASS/: Georgian lawmakers voted on Friday against a draft law on registering foreign agents in the second reading.
"One voted for, with 35 votes against. The measure has not passed," Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said following the vote, which was broadcast live on the parliament’s website.
Previously, Papuashvili told a meeting of the legislature’s bureau that the authors of the so-called American version of the bill had asked that the Georgian parliament withdraw the initiative, which was never discussed at a plenary session, and that their request had been granted.
Protestors demonstrating outside of the parliament building cheered the news of the deputies’ decision to defeat the contentious bill, which had sparked mass opposition.
On Thursday, Mamuka Mdinaradze, leader of the ruling Georgian Dream Party’s parliamentary faction, had warned that a majority of deputies would vote against the foreign agents bill in Friday’s legislative session.
Protests against the bill
On Tuesday, Georgia’s parliament passed in the first reading the Georgian version of the draft law on registering foreign agents. Two organized protests in Tbilisi drew thousands on March 7-8. Both rallies ended late at night, when law enforcement officers dispersed the protesting crowds with water guns and tear gas. More than 130 people were detained over the two days of the protests. Following the demonstrations, Georgia’s ruling party decided to withdraw the contentious piece of legislation on Thursday morning.
In February, two versions of a foreign agents bill were registered in the Georgian parliament — a Georgian version and a so-called American version, which was essentially a translation of the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). Under the Georgian version, media outlets could also be classified as foreign agents. The initiative did not apply to individuals, however. The US version was to apply not only to legal entities, but also to individuals and called for criminal liability. The legislative initiatives came under heavy criticism by both the Georgian opposition and Western politicians and organizations.
