{"id":112761,"date":"2024-05-24T05:29:13","date_gmt":"2024-05-24T09:29:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/africatodaynewsnewyork.com\/?p=112761"},"modified":"2024-05-24T05:29:13","modified_gmt":"2024-05-24T09:29:13","slug":"us-restricts-visas-for-georgia-over-foreign-agent-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/africatodaynewsnewyork.com\/2024\/05\/24\/us-restricts-visas-for-georgia-over-foreign-agent-bill\/","title":{"rendered":"US Restricts Visas For Georgia Over \u2018Foreign Agent\u2019 Bill"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Government of the United States has concluded plans to impose visa<\/a> restrictions and review relations with Georgia over a controversial \u201cforeign agent\u201d bill\u00a0that has sparked mass protests in the country.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Secretary of State of the US, Antony Blinken said on Friday that the visa restrictions would apply to individuals responsible for undermining democracy in Georgia and their family members.<\/p>\n

\u201cUS support for Georgia\u2019s democracy is longstanding and foundational to our bilateral relationship. Anyone who undermines democratic processes or institutions in Georgia \u2013 including in the lead-up to, during, and following Georgia\u2019s October 2024 elections \u2013 may be found ineligible for US visas under this policy and precluded from travel to the United States,\u201d Blinken said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Blinken said the proposed law would stifle Georgians\u2019 freedom of association and expression and \u201cimpede independent media organisations working to provide Georgians with access to high-quality information\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt remains our hope that Georgia\u2019s leaders will reconsider the draft law and take steps to move forward with their nation\u2019s democratic and Euro-Atlantic aspirations. As we review the relationship between our two countries, we will take into account Georgia\u2019s actions in deciding our own,\u201d<\/em> he said.<\/p>\n

Read Also: <\/strong>Intra-Africa Travel Visas: Dangote Calls For Ease Bottleneck<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The bill passed by the ruling Georgian Dream party last week requires nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) and media outlets with more than 20 percent of their funding coming from outside Georgia to register as bodies \u201cpursuing the interests of a foreign power\u201d.<\/p>\n

Organisations that do not comply with the measures will face fines of up to 25,000 lari ($9,200), followed by additional fines of 20,000 lari ($7,300) for each month of non-compliance thereafter.<\/p>\n

Critics have accused Georgian Dream, which has been in power since 2012, of taking inspiration from Russian legislation used to quash dissent.<\/p>\n

Africa Today News, New York recalls that after the passage of the bill on May 14, thousands of protesters clashed with the police outside the parliament building in the centre of Tbilisi.<\/p>\n

The US has urged Georgia to scrap the legislation, warning it could jeopardise its stated goal to join the European Union and establish relations\u00a0with NATO.<\/p>\n

Georgia applied to join the EU in 2022 and was granted candidate status in December last year.<\/p>\n

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the EU Commission, warned earlier this month that the legislation would be a \u201cserious obstacle for Georgia in its European perspective\u201d.<\/p>\n

Backers of the legislation, who include Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, have argued the measures are necessary to promote transparency, combat \u201cpseudo-liberal values\u201d promoted by foreigners and safeguard the country\u2019s sovereignty.<\/p>\n

Georgia\u2019s President Salome Zourabichvili on Saturday used her veto to block the bill, citing its incompatibility with the constitution.<\/p>\n

Zourabichvili\u2019s move is expected to only delay the legislation as the governing party has enough votes in parliament to override the veto in an upcoming vote.<\/p>\n

Africa Today News, New York<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Government of the United States has concluded plans to impose visa restrictions and review relations with Georgia over a controversial \u201cforeign agent\u201d bill\u00a0that has sparked mass protests in the country. The Secretary of State of the US, Antony Blinken said on Friday that the visa restrictions would apply to individuals responsible for undermining democracy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":112784,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6928],"tags":[12551,14840,13885],"class_list":["post-112761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature","tag-georgia","tag-united-states","tag-visa","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\nUS Restricts Visas For Georgia Over \u2018Foreign Agent\u2019 Bill<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Government of the United States has concluded plans to impose visa restrictions and review relations with Georgia over a controversial\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" 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