Georgia’s Prime Minister on protests and the foreign agents bill
Georgia’s Prime Minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, made his first comments on May 1 following the brutal dispersal by police and special forces on April 30 of yet another massive protest, which occurred simultaneously with the parliament’s discussion of the “foreign agents bill” in the second reading.
The parliament eventually supported the “Russian bill on foreign agents” in the second reading. 83 deputies (from the ruling party) voted “for,” while 23 deputies (from the opposition) voted against. The opposition attempted to protest, resulting in the expulsion of four opposition deputies from the chamber by the parliament speaker, Shalva Papuashvili: Tina Bokuchava, Salome Samadashvili, Tako Charkviani, and Giorgi Botkoveli.
During a press conference, Kobakhidze accused the opposition and non-governmental organizations of deliberate provocation and escalation. He stated that “the government has no intention of backing down and will definitely pass the law ‘On Transparency of Foreign Influence,’ as this is the only thing that will calm the country.”
Kobakhidze announced that the hearing of the bill in the third and final reading will be discussed in two weeks.
Key points from the Prime Minister’s speech
The brutal dispersal of protests against the bill on April 30
● The Prime Minister asserts that the protests in Georgia were orchestrated by the opposition “National Movement” (founded by former President Mikhail Saakashvili, who is currently incarcerated) in accordance with the recommendations of American sociologist Peter Ackerman, the leader of the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC).
Peter Ackerman has repeatedly stated that peaceful protest actions are much more effective than revolutions. Ackerman visited Georgia in 2022 and held meetings and discussions with the opposition. Since then, the Georgian authorities have claimed that Ackerman was actually “training and preparing opposition parties, NGOs, and independent media for revolution.”
Gas, water cannons, beatings of tens of thousands of protesters in Tbilisi. How did the night go and what’s next?
Opponents of the “agents” bill plan to hold a larger rally on May 1. Regions are joining Tbilisi
“Violent and unlawful aspects of the rally were evident on April 30, as its participants picketed the entrances and exits to the parliament building, insulted law enforcement officers, and threw various objects at them, including glass bottles and stones,” said Irakli Kobakhidze.
● “Special forces officers find it difficult to maintain patience when confronted by protesters who insult and attack them, which led to several serious incidents during the rally. The most unfortunate incident was the beating of the leader of the ‘United National Movement,’ Levan Khabeishvili [he was severely beaten by special forces, suffering a broken nose and concussion — JAMnews]. An investigation will be conducted into this matter.
But police and special forces officers are frequently pelted with glass bottles and stones, and spat on. What are they supposed to do in such situations? Many endured this, but one in a hundred could not. Hence, there were some very unpleasant incidents where the special forces resorted to physical violence against the protesters.
“It’s sad that violence begets violence,” Kobakhidze added.
Journalists have begun to challenge the assertion of the widespread occurrence of such behavior by the protesters, but the Prime Minister declined to further discuss the matter – JAMnews.
● “Protesters will inevitably resort to violence, for which there is a special group of 300 people among them,” the Prime Minister said.
The Venice Commission will receive the law for recommendations after it is adopted
● Irakli Kobakhidze outlined the government’s next steps in the process of passing the “Transparency of Foreign Influence” law.
“The third reading of the bill will take place in two weeks. Then the president will veto it, and it will be overridden in about a month.
Some say we shouldn’t pass the law but rather hand it over to the Venice Commission for recommendations. This will happen; the law will be adopted and then submitted for assessment by the Venice Commission,” the Prime Minister said.
