Georgia's grant law amendments aim to curb foreign-funded hatred, violence

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili has stated that the adoption of amendments to the Grant Law will help prevent the incitement of hatred, violence, and confrontation in the country, for which foreign donors are responsible.

Under the amendments to the Grant Law, grants from international charitable, humanitarian, or other public organizations (including international sports organizations), financial institutions, foreign governments or their representations, and companies can only be received with the government's consent, Caliber.Az reports, citing Georgian media.

"What we saw yesterday is exactly what the Grant Law should regulate to ensure that hatred is no longer financed in this country," said Papuashvili.

According to him, what society witnessed yesterday is the direct responsibility of the donors.

On April 9, Georgia celebrated the Day of the Adoption of the Act on the Restoration of State Independence of Georgia and the Day of National Unity, Civil Concord, and Remembrance of those who died for the Fatherland. Protesters gathered at the memorial to the victims in front of the parliament building in Tbilisi and prevented government officials from the ruling team from laying flowers and honoring the memory of the fallen.

"Today, we again see hatred, violence, and terror, and wherever we look, we find foreign funding. Then we come to the sponsor, who either 'washes their hands' or, at best, simply ignores our questions – as the 'European Endowment for Democracy' did," Papuashvili added.

By Khagan Isayev