As the Georgian parliament is ready to pass the foreign agent law in its third meeting a strong warning came from the United States of America. The twenty-nine members of the US Congress’s House of Representatives wrote a letter to Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Kobakhidze demanding the withdrawal of the law.
In a strongly worded letter, the members said that if the law is passed they will be united with senate members to make huge changes in the USA policy towards Georgia. The letter said that under the new policy changes, there could be alterations in U.S. financial assistance to Georgia, the expansion of visa bans to the United States, and financial sanctions on those responsible for undermining Georgia’s democratic development.
While expressing “grave concern” over the reintroduction of this bill it stressed that the media and independent voice should not be stifled. The letter also criticized the former Prime minister of Georgia. It stated “Mr. Ivanishvili’s speech has degraded the strong support of the USA to Georgia. even though we have steadfastly supported Georgia since independence over last 16 years since Russia invaded and occupied parts of Georgia in 2008. We condemn these statements of the Ivanishhvili.”
The letter also took a strong exception to the recent crackdown on the protestors by the police and other government authorities. The letter stated that “we are closely monitoring the situation, We are deeply concerned about police action in which an opposition member was also injured.”
US representative also said that it is very sad that Russia which has occupied the 20% of the Georgian Territory is praising the Law. This is a clear indication that the Georgian government has chosen the wrong path.
The letter came when the police launched a brutal crackdown on opponents of the bill. The crackdown also included life-threatening phone calls, and posters at the entrance of the homes of protesters calling these individuals “agents” and “enemies of the state.”
