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Georgia’s parliament passes controversial “foreign agent” law amid protests, widespread criticism
Georgia’s parliament has passed a law that critics see as a threat to media freedom and the country’s aspirations to join the European Union – and a step toward the kind of draconian laws that have quashed political dissent in neighboring Russia.
In backing the so-called “foreign agent” law, Georgia’s parliamentarians defied weeks of large demonstrations in the capital against the legislation, which also saw thousands of people vent their anger at Russia.
Tens of thousands of protesters shut down a major intersection in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi on Tuesday, Reuters reported, and protests again on Wednesday gathered outside the parliament.
The law will be sent to the president before it can go into effect, and President Salome Zourabichvili – increasingly at odds with the governing party – has vowed to veto it, but the ruling Georgian Dream party has a majority sufficient to override his veto.
Below is a look at the divisive law and why there’s so much angst about it.
What does the “foreign agent” law do?
The law would require media, nongovernmental organizations and other nonprofits to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they receive more than 20% of funding from abroad.
GIORGI ARJEVANIDZE/AFP via Getty Images
The law is nearly identical to the one that the governing Georgian Dream party was pressured to withdraw last year after similar protests. This version passed its third and final reading in parliament on Tuesday.
The governing party says the law is necessary to stem what it deems as harmful foreign influence over Georgia’s political scene and prevent unidentified foreign actors from trying to destabilize it.
The opposition denounces it as “the Russian law” because Moscow uses similar legislation to stigmatize independent news media and organizations critical of the Kremlin. Opposition lawmakers have accused the governing party of trying to drag Georgia into Russia’s sphere of influence.
What are Georgia’s relations with Russia?
Russia-Georgia relations have been strained and turbulent since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union and Georgia’s departure from its role as a Soviet republic.
In 2008, Russia fought a brief war with Georgia, which had made a botched attempt to regain control over the breakaway province of South Ossetia. Moscow then recognized South Ossetia and another separatist province, Abkhazia, as independent states and strengthened its military presence there. Most of the world still considers both regions to be parts of Georgia.
Tbilisi cut diplomatic ties with Moscow, and the two regions’ status remains a key irritant even as Russia-Georgia relations have improved in recent years.
The opposition United National Movement accuses Georgian Dream, which was founded by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a former prime minister and billionaire who made his fortune in Russia, of serving Moscow’s interests — an accusation the governing party denies.
What is the EU’s position?
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell described the parliament’s decision as “a very concerning development” and warned that “final adoption of this legislation would negatively impact Georgia’s progress on its EU path.”
Borrell earlier said the law was “not in line with EU core norms and values” and would limit the ability of media and civil society to operate freely.
European Council President Charles Michel said after the law was passed that “if they want to join the EU, they have to respect the fundamental principles of the rule of law and the democratic principles.”
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Donald Trump’s projected victory at the polls is giving a fresh boost to stocks.
Dow futures soared nearly 1,400 points, or 3.2%, lifting the blue-chip market into record terrain before the start of trade on Wednesday. S&P 500 futures were up more than 2%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite also looked set to open strong.
Cryptocurrency is also surging as investors bet that the second Trump administration will benefit the volatile sector. Bitcoin prices rose nearly 8% to a record $75,345.00 in early trading, before dipping to about $73,500.
The former president, who was once critical of digital currencies, pledged during his campaign against Vice President Kamala Harris to make the U.S. the “crypto capital of the planet” and to create a bitcoin “strategic reserve.”
“Bitcoin is the one asset that was always going to soar if Trump returned to the White House,” said Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, a British online investment platform.
“Trump has already declared his love of the digital currency and crypto traders now have a new narrative by which to get even more excited about where the price could go,” he added.
The Republican Party’s electoral success on Tuesday, which included winning control of the Senate, is also benefiting Trump’s personal finances by boosting the stock price of Trump Media & Technology Group. Shares in the company, which owns the social network Truth Social and in which Trump owns a stake valued at more than $5 billion, jumped nearly 38% to $46.80 before markets opened.
Although markets have pushed to new highs this year, Wall Street analysts warn that some of Trump’s key policy proposals could rekindle U.S. inflation, dampen economic growth and drive up the nation’s debts.
The Federal Reserve will offer its latest readout on the state of the economy on Thursday, with Wall Street analysts expecting the central bank to lower its benchmark interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point. The Fed in September dropped borrowing costs by 0.50 percentage points, its first cut since 2020.
contributed to this report.
San Juan, Puerto Rico — Hurricane Rafael swelled into a Category 2 storm early Wednesday as it swirled past the Cayman Islands, and it was forecast to rapidly intensify before making landfall later in the day in western Cuba. It was another stroke of bad news for Cuba, which has been struggling with blackouts while recovering from another hurricane two weeks ago that killed at least six people in the eastern part of the island.
The storm was located about 90 miles east-southeast of the Isle of Youth, and around 160 miles south-southeast of Havana as of 7 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday. Packing maximum sustained winds of 100 mph, Rafael had become a Category 2 storm.
It was moving northwest at 14 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Forecasters warned that Rafael was expected to slam into Cuba on Wednesday after dumping rain on Jamaica and the Cayman Islands on Tuesday. The center warned of floods, storm surges and mudslides.
NOAA/National Hurricane Center
The U.S. State Department issued an advisory for Cuba on Tuesday afternoon, offering departure flights to non-essential staff and American citizens, and advising others to “reconsider travel to Cuba due to the potential impact of Tropical Storm Rafael,” before the storm grew into a hurricane.
On Tuesday morning, the Cuban Civil Defense called on Cubans to prepare as soon as possible, because when the storm makes landfall “it’s important to stay where you are.” The day before, authorities said they had issued an evacuation order for 37,000 people in far eastern Cuba, in the province of Guantanamo, due to bad weather.
A hurricane warning that had been in effect Tuesday for the Cayman Islands was dropped for the biggest of the islands Wednesday. The measure remained in effect for Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, along with the Cuban provinces of Pinar del Rio, Artemisa, La Habana, Mayabeque, Matanzas, and the Isle of Youth.
NOAA/National Hurricane Center
A tropical storm warning was in effect for a handful of other Cuban provinces, as well as the lower and middle Florida Keys from Key West to west of the Channel 5 Bridge, and Dry Tortugas. The warning was lifted in Jamaica after the storm passed by the western coast.
Rafael on Tuesday knocked out power in Jamaica and unleashed flooding and landslides.
The Jamaica Public Service, the island’s electricity provider, said in a statement late Tuesday that impassable roads were preventing crews from restoring power in some areas.
Meanwhile, crews in Little Cayman and Cayman Brac were expected to fan out early Wednesday to assess damage after a direct hit late Tuesday. Power outages were reported across the Cayman Islands, and schools remained closed on Wednesday.
“While conditions have improved on Grand Cayman, residents are advised to exercise extreme caution on the roads and near coastlines as rough seas and residual flooding risks may persist,” the government said in a statement.
Forecasters warned Rafael would unleash heavy rains across the western Caribbean that could lead to flooding and mudslides in parts of Cuba and the Cayman Islands.
YAMIL LAGE/AFP/Getty
Heavy rainfall also was expected to spread north into Florida and nearby areas of the southeast U.S. during the middle to late part of the week. The Hurricane Center predicted storm surges in Florida could reach 1 to 3 feet in Dry Tortugas and 1 to 2 feet in the Lower Florida Keys. A few tornadoes also were expected Wednesday over the Keys and southwestern Florida.
Rafael is the 17th named storm of the season.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted the 2024 hurricane season was likely to be well above average, with between 17 and 25 named storms. The forecast called for as many as 13 hurricanes and four major hurricanes.
An average Atlantic hurricane season produces 14 named storms, seven of them hurricanes and three major hurricanes.