Update as of March 10, 2023: draft legislation declared withdrawn
With 112 lawmakers present on March 10, it was declared that the law on foreign agents had been repealed on the second plenary meeting. 35 people voted against it, 1 person voted for it, and others abstained. That means that the required quorum was not reached, and the legislation is declared withdrawn. Officials state that the second legislative proposal has already been withdrawn and they will likely also propose that the legislation be removed off the Venice Commission's agenda.
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March 9, 2023:
The wave of protests grew in Georgia, when both versions of the "law on foreign agents" were submitted to Parliament and the committees in charge of their review began discussions. Protesters, especially young people, students, and community organisers (civic activists) began gathering near the Parliament to object to the law in a nonviolent manner. They continued to do so until, at the close of the Bureau summit on March 7, 2023, the final committee on legal issues reached a favorable conclusion on the first draft law.
Despite the fact that the first parliamentary hearing was expected to take place on March 9, 2023, it was scheduled to the same evening, March 7, 2023, without prior notice. As a consequence, demonstrators quickly assembled outside the Parliament to continue their protests. The proposed draft bill was supported by 76 Parliamentarians (out of 89) during the first hearing. Meanwhile protesters who were peaceful and nonviolent were confronted with tear gas, water cannons, beatings and mass arrests. On March 8, there was another, larger wave of demonstrations, which resulted in many severe police assaults, including the use of tearing gas bombs and directed shootings. Even though at a later stage windows of the Parliament were shattered and there was an attempt of crossing barricades by activists, none of the police-used actions could be judged proportionate.
Following this, the official "Georgian Dream" party statement was released on March 9, 2023 stating:
We have decided to withdraw the draft law on foreign agents that we supported without further conditions. Once the emotional backdrop has faded, we will be able to better communicate to the public what the law was for and why it was critical to maintain transparency of foreign interference in our country. To do this, we will begin holding public meetings to inform the society on the facts of the situation."
Until concrete actions were taken, protests continued
It is critical to understand that, under Article 101(3) of the Parliament's rules of procedure, the initiating party (People’s Power) may only withdraw a proposed draft "before its first hearing" if all of the initiators sign the written form. As a result, carrying out the statement as stated becomes problematic. That is, if the ruling party's genuine aim is not to proceed with the draft legislation on foreign agents, it must be abandoned (rejected by the same parliamentarians who approved it during the first hearing) at an immediately scheduled second hearing. Additionally, the request for withdrawing the second draft bill must be signed by all initiators from People’s Power. Unless concrete actions are taken, the situation seems confusing, prompting society to continue protesting, while waiting for the governing party to provide more explanations about how latest declaration would affect their practical judgments. In the meantime, groups are working hard to make sure that detained activists are identified and supported in all ways possible.