The president vetoed it because she believes that the law was used to stifle the opposition and the media

The President of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, on Saturday vetoed the law on "foreign agents", which, among other things, targets the media, and because of which Georgians protest for weeks, he reports Radio Free Europe.

According to that law, media and non-governmental organizations would have to register as entities that "represent the interests of foreign powers", if more than 20 percent of their finances come from abroad.

The law, which critics say resembles Russia's legal solution by which President Vladimir Putin has stifled opposition and independent media, was passed on Tuesday, May 14, despite weeks of protests in the country and warnings from the West.

The period before and after the adoption of the law was marked by mass demonstrations of tens of thousands of Georgians, which were repeatedly violently suppressed, with tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets.

Suppression of the opposition and the media

The President of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, assessed that the adoption of the law on "foreign agents" at the insistence of the government is a clear departure from the country's western path, which will jeopardize its efforts to join the European Union.

Zurabishvili reiterated in an interview with Voice of America that she will veto the law, which is similar to the law in Russia, which was used to stifle the opposition and the media, but also indicated that the ruling Georgian Dream party has a sufficient majority in parliament to override her veto.

She said the law was adopted in an atmosphere of renewed "very anti-Western, anti-American, anti-European" rhetoric with accusations that the West wants to encourage destabilization of Georgia and replace the government.

"The law was submitted at the worst time, because we should work on the positive legislation that is expected of us," Zurabishvili said.

Hungarianrelations with women

Zurabishvili announced earlier in the week that she would veto the law, and that she considers the law "unacceptable" and represents a clear departure from the country's European path.

After Georgia received the status of a candidate for membership in the European Union in December, Brussels and Washington warn that the adopted law could threaten the country's partnership with the West.

There is a possibility that the European Union will freeze this country's candidacy for membership due to the law, the Financial Times wrote this week.

US Assistant Secretary of State James O'Brien, who was in Tbilisi the day before the adoption of the law, said that Washington's relations with that country will be threatened and that US aid to Georgia will be subject to review if the bill is adopted.

"If the law is adopted without harmonization with EU norms and if this kind of rhetoric and defamation of the US and other partners continues, I think the relationship is in jeopardy," O'Brien said.

A similar law was proposed in the Georgian parliament last year, but was withdrawn after mass protests. A few months ago, practically the same legal solution with minor changes was returned to the deputies.

Conflicts

The opposition denounces the draft as a "Russian law" because, they say, Moscow is using a similar law to crack down on independent media, non-profit organizations and activists critical of the Kremlin.

During a heated debate on the disputed law, the ruling party and opposition MPs clashed and exchanged blows, according to footage broadcast by Georgian public television.

Clashes between opposition MPs and the ruling party erupted after hundreds of demonstrators, mostly young people, gathered in front of parliament to protest against the law. Nevertheless, the law was adopted.

Family Purity Day

Senior clerics of the Georgian Orthodox Church and conservative religious groups marked the newly introduced Family Purity Day holiday on Friday with a march along Tbilisi's central avenue, the scene of weeks of protests over the "foreign agents" law.

Photo: AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze

Family Purity Day was established by the Georgian Orthodox Church in 2014 as a response to the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, which is observed annually on May 17 to raise awareness of the violation LGBT rights worldwide.

In order to avoid confrontation, no rallies against the "foreign agents" law were scheduled during the Family Purity Day march.

The march on Family Purity Day, which is a non-working day this year, is supported by the ruling Georgian Dream party, which in March pushed through a bill restricting the rights of LGBT people, just weeks before returning the "foreign agents" law to parliamentary procedure. which resembles draconian Russian law.

The law restricting LGBT rights prohibits transgender surgeries, the adoption of children by same-sex couples, the designation of a gender other than male and female on official documents, and the organization of public events advocating same-sex relationships.