US implements fresh visa restrictions in response to ‘foreign agents’ bill

ISTANBUL

The US will roll out a fresh visa restriction policy in reacting to both a repressive law and crackdowns on protests occurring in Georgia, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said.

“I am announcing a new visa restriction policy for those responsible for undermining democracy in Georgia, including in connection with the Georgian Dream’s proposed “foreign influence” legislation,” said Blinken on X on Thursday.

Blinken, expressing his desire for the country's leaders to reassess the "foreign agents" bill, said that the new visa policy aims to focus on “individuals who are responsible for or complicit in undermining democracy in Georgia, as well as their family members.”

“This includes individuals responsible for suppressing civil society and freedom of peaceful assembly in Georgia through a campaign of violence or intimidation,” Blinken said in a statement, according to CNN.

The US will also begin a review of bilateral cooperation with Georgia, he added.

On Wednesday, Blinken warned that the US will "take action" against a contentious bill adopted last week by the former Soviet republic of Georgia’s parliament, which triggered mass protests.

The bill requires organizations, including media outlets, which receive more than 20% of their funding from overseas to register with the state. It also requires them to publish annual financial reports.

The bill, which was first introduced in March 2023, was shelved after it triggered mass protests that resulted in the arrest of 66 people and the injury of more than 50 law enforcement officers but was reintroduced in parliament early last month.

Critics say the bill would undermine democracy, labeling it as a "Russian law." But members of the ruling majority argue that it would increase transparency.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili announced Saturday that she vetoed the bill, days after the Georgian parliament passed it in its third and final reading amid protests.

However, the ruling Georgian Dream party can override the president's veto by obtaining 76 votes, after which the parliament speaker can legally sign the bill.