People's Power movement: bill on foreign influence transparency target of “unjustified criticism”
The release by the movement said “unlike the American and Russian laws, the bill initiated by us is fully compatible with legal standards, including in terms of human rights”. Photo: People's Power
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People's Power, a public movement established by former MPs of the ruling Georgian Dream party who exited the team last year, on Monday said the domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence had become a “target of unjustified criticism”, and called comparisons with laws in the United States and Russia “categorically unacceptable”.
Proposed by the movement and set to be submitted to the Parliament, the legislation envisages registration of “non-commercial legal entities and media outlets as agents of foreign influence if they derive more than 20 percent of their income from abroad”.
The release by the movement said “unlike the American and Russian laws, the bill initiated by us is fully compatible with legal standards, including in terms of human rights”.
It can be safely said that [our] bill is not harsher in any aspect than its American analogue. Moreover [...] unlike the American law, our bill is fully compatible with human rights standards”, the statement also noted.
Members of the movement cited Georgia’s status as a small country facing “multifaceted interest and danger” against its sovereignty that “can come from the west and north, as well as from the south and east”, in their justification for the legislative initiative.
The only goal of our bill is to ensure full transparency of foreign funding of organisations, so that Georgian citizens know who is behind the activities of this or that association, distinguish cases of positive and non-positive influence on Georgia and form their own attitude to the current political and social processes”, the statement said.
People's Power, a public movement established by former ruling Georgian Dream party MPs who exited the team in June, on Wednesday called on the United States’ Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan to deny or confirm Ukrainian diplomat Andriy Kasyanov’s claims on an arms exchange request between his country, the US and Georgia.
People's Power, a public movement established by the former ruling Georgian Dream party MPs who exited the team in June, on Friday criticised the McCain Institute, a Washington-based think tank, for introducing a “fake” claim in its statement about the latest developments around the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili.
Sozar Subari, a member of People’s Power, a public movement composed of the former ruling Georgian Dream party MPs who exited the team in June, on Thursday said “all those” who wanted to “revive” the opposition United National Movement party and “bring it to power” had “realised” it was “impossible” to do so and “now switched to open struggle”.
The Georgian public is “entitled to know” how much aid money the United States has spent in Georgia and for what purpose, a group of former ruling Georgian Dream party lawmakers now composing the Popular Force movement said in a statement released on Monday.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday said the ruling team would support the domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence proposed by People's Power, a public movement established by former MPs of the party.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday said the domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence, proposed by People's Power, a public movement established by former members of the party, was in “full accordance” with human rights standards “unlike its American and Russian analogues”.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday said “national interests” “came first” in the Government’s decisions on policy, adding the ruling team “should only serve the interests of Georgia”.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday said there “could be no arguments from anyone” against the domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence, which has been proposed by People's Power, a public movement established by former MPs of the party, and caused public controversy over the recent days.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili on Tuesday pledged to veto the controversial domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence, proposed by the People’s Power movement, if the draft law is approved by the country’s legislative body.