On Saturday 31 May, the High Representative of the European Union, Kaja Kallas, and the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, condemned the entry into force on the same day of Georgia’s Foreign Agents Registration Act.
This law “marks a serious setback for the country’s democracy”, they said in a press release. According to Ms Kallas and Ms Kos, alongside the recent laws on broadcasting and subsidies, the Foreign Agents Registration Act is another “aggressive” measure by the Georgian authorities “to suppress dissent, restrict freedoms, and further shrink the space for activists, civil society, and independent media”. “These repressive measures threaten the very survival of Georgia’s democratic foundations and the future of its citizens in a free and open society”, they warn.
Ms Kallas and Ms Kos reiterated the EU’s call to the authorities to heed the clear demands of their citizens for democracy and a European future, and to release all journalists, activists, demonstrators and political leaders unjustly detained. “The EU is ready to consider the return of Georgia to the EU accession path if the authorities take credible steps to reverse democratic backsliding. The responsibility lies solely with the Georgian authorities”, the High Representative and the Commissioner reiterated. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)