Transcripts For BBCNEWS Verified 20240703 : vimarsana.com

Hello, and welcome to todays verified life. A tense stand off has developed outside the parliament in the georgian capital of tbilisi after mps approved a controversial goal which would force Civil Society groups and Media Organisations to declare foreign funding. Scuffles broke out in the chamber, while outside the protesters tried to break through barriers. Security forces for slumber, hundreds of most rioters converged on parliament from several directions in an attempt to her to the protesters. They were met with anti russian champs, critics say the new law is modelled on a russian one designed to stifle democracy. They were met with anti russian chants. These are the live pictures from tbilisi, we have cameras in several different parts of the capital around the parliament. The president has said she will veto the legislation but the Prime Ministers Georgian Dream party has sufficient support to force the new law through. Many of the protesters are young, they say the future of georgia is at stake, with aspirations tojoin the georgia is at stake, with aspirations to join the eu or move closer to russia. Lets go live to our correspondent rayhan demytrie, who is in tbilisi. Just bring viewers, if they are just joining us, up to speed about what has happened over the last few hours . In has happened over the last few hours . ,. ,. ,. ,. , hours . In the last half an hour or so, the hours . In the last half an hour or so. The police hours . In the last half an hour or so, the police that hours . In the last half an hour or so, the police that was hours . In the last half an hour or so, the police that was standing l so, the police that was standing here were pushed back. Perhaps they got an order to move away, and that the protesters that were on this side of the street chanted and by clapping they once again took over this part of the street right outside parliament. I have also noticed there is a new graffiti that appeared on the government building which reads in georgian something which reads in georgian something which means this country is ours. The protesters standing here now believe they are fighting for their countrys european future. A couple of hours ago inside the Parliament Building mps from the governing Georgian Dream party pass this controversial law on the transparency of foreign funding which protesters have called the russian law because of the similarities with the legislation that exists in russia and which has been used in rafferty in a rush to stifle dissent and critical voices. The protesters are standing here because they do not want the same thing to happen in the country. They are proud of the democracy they have in georgia and want to keep it this way, but more than that, they are really concerned that this law was passed in the interest of russia, they call it the russian law and have referred to by government as the russian government. Of course, the Georgian Dream party which ruled this country denies it and are saying they have introduced this law to ensure transparency of non Governmental Organisations, but we have heard in the past how the government accuse these non Governmental Organisations of Receiving Funds from the west and fomenting unrest in georgia. Basically even before this law passed there has been a Serious Campaign of intimidation against opponents of this law. People were waking up outside their homes, their apartment blocks, two posters glued to the walls saying you are a foreign agent, you are a hater of the church, and this Intimidation Campaign has been going on for several days up to today. Today is Tuesday The 14th Of May when the georgian government, despite these mass protests, passed this law. Lets turn the camera to the side where we see protesters have turned their attention, they are booing towards one of the streets,. You can see lots of the protesters have european flags draped around their shoulders. That is what we have seen happening here so far. There are lots of european flags. People believe the struggle is for georgias european future. They think theyre government introduced this law not in the interests of their country but in the interests of their northern neighbour, russia. I hope you can still hear me, in terms of where does this actually 90, terms of where does this actually go, we have seen protests like this for weeks now and yet we have seen what happened in parliament today. Watch it to those protesters hope will change in the coming days . What do those protesters hope . Everything they have tried so far has not worked. Has not worked. They had been protesting. Has not worked. They had been protesting. They has not worked. They had been protesting, they have has not worked. They had been protesting, they have been protesting, they have been exercising their right to protest against a law which they believe is. Right now they believe this is an existential moment for their country, somehow the government by introducing this law is changing this countrys foreign policy, because by targeting non Governmental Organisations that receive funding mainly from the eu and the United States and these are the partners of georgia, so these people believe that by criticising ngos and targeting ngos that receive funding from western countries they are upsetting by western partners. In the last couple of days we had a number of senior european politicians Visiting Tbilisi and they are still here now as i understand, but these politicians could not get high level meetings with the representatives of the georgian government. The speaker of the Georgian Parliament has said that it the Georgian Parliament has said thatitis the Georgian Parliament has said that it is not the right time, it is a difficult time for our country, i dont have time to meet you. That is seen by those who oppose the law as some kind of message that the government is refusing to have a dialogue with the eu. At the government of course denies it, claiming it is being done in the interest of the country. They say they passed this law to defend georgias sovereignty because they believe that somehow these non Governmental Organisations that are funded from the west are trying to foment unrest in this country. But we can talk, and in the last hour we have spoken live to so many protesters here, many of them young people, genocide, 18 years old and older, of course. Many of them, young people, gen z. They say this is a very important struggle, they cannot give up this countrys democracy because it would mean going back to russia and this is what nobody here wants to happen. They are talking about the struggle that this small country in the South Caucasus has been going through over the decades and suffering from its northern neighbour russia. We are talking about the war in 2008, the occupation georgian territory, 20 of this territory is occupied by russia. The majority of georgians, you will walk into pelissie and see lots of ukrainian flags and they stand with ukraine you will walk in tbilisi. They say this is part of the same struggle from their old imperial master, and somehow they leave that what is happening now in georgia is part of that scenario, which is why they do not want to see it happening, they want to make sure this country moves forward and it moves west. This country moves forward and it moves west this country moves forward and it moves west. ,. , , moves west. Rayhan demytrie, we will be that therefore moves west. Rayhan demytrie, we will be that therefore now moves west. Rayhan demytrie, we will be that therefore now and moves west. Rayhan demytrie, we will be that therefore now and talk moves west. Rayhan demytrie, we will be that therefore now and talk again i be that therefore now and talk again through the course of the programme. Thank you for describing what is happening in tbilisi. We will return to that story in a moment or two but before we go to our next guest i want to take you to kyiv and show the pictures that they are, in the next few moments we expect to see and Hearfrom Antony next few moments we expect to see and hear from Antony Blinken, next few moments we expect to see and hearfrom Antony Blinken, who is making that surprise visit to ukraine today. He has already said the American Military aid and weapons are on their way, which will be welcome news to president zelensky, but those meetings have gone on through the course of this morning and you can see the microphones, the flags, the press all set up, we expect comments in the next little while so as soon as they start we will return to that story, an important story, ukraine, given the russian offensive going on around kharkiv. We will be keeping an eye, as soon as it starts we will return to kyiv. Lets return to georgia as promised. Lets speak to rachel denber, the Deputy Director for europe and central asia at human rights watch. Thank you for being with us, what are your Headline Thoughts as you watch those scenes from tbilisi . fiur watch those scenes from tbilisi . Our headhne watch those scenes from tbilisi . Oi Headline Thoughts are watch those scenes from tbilisi . Qij Headline Thoughts are that this law tramples on rights, it is a terrible direction for georgia to take but at the same time everything that the Georgian Dream party and its supporters had said about this law make very clear it has nothing to do with transparency, as they claim, and everything to do with stigmatising, demonising and attempting to intimidate non Governmental Organisations, Media Outlets and activists, to stifle their critics. Tell Media Outlets and activists, to stifle their critics. Media outlets and activists, to stifle their critics. Tell me how . Peo le stifle their critics. Tell me how . People might stifle their critics. Tell me how . People might have stifle their critics. Tell me how . People might have heard stifle their critics. Tell me how . People might have heard about| stifle their critics. Tell me how . People might have heard about this bill but not know how it works. What bill but not know how it works. What are the dangers bill but not know how it works. What are the dangers from bill but not know how it works. Twist are the dangers from it . The bill but not know how it works. Twat are the dangers from it . The bill says anyone who gets more than 20 or more foreign funding has to register on a register of organisations and individuals who are serving foreign interests, which is a very stigmatising label. There are many other obligations that go with that. There is nothing wrong with that. There is nothing wrong with transparency but there is something wrong with creating a special status, and this is something the European Court of human rights has maintained, for groups that receive foreign funding. That interferes with the right to get funding and operate an ngo. Also it is pretty clear from everything the government has said and done in recent days that this is not about transparency but about shutting down critics who they dont like a hedge of the october elections. As rayhan said a couple of moments ago there was the obviously orchestrated campaign of harassing phone calls against activists to their children, we know someone who is ten year old child got a threatening phone call, really offensive posters with photographs of activists, ngo leaders, they say traitor, enemy of the church, enemy of georgia. It is all quite orchestrated and it is obvious it is not about transparency, it is stigmatising and demonising critics. What transparency, it is stigmatising and demonising critics. Transparency, it is stigmatising and demonising critics. What should the international demonising critics. What should the International Community demonising critics. What should the International Community do . Demonising critics. What should the International Community do . Only l International Community do . Only last week the us said they were deeply troubled by this bill, the eu, similar words. What do you think they should do . The georgians already say in terms of the government that the georgian people support this. It was 84 votes for this, 30 against. What should the International Community do in response to that . I International Community do in response to that . Response to that . I think it is really important response to that . I think it is really important for response to that . I think it is really important for the really important for the International Community and everyone to challenge the georgian government when they say the Georgian Society supporters. The Georgian Dream Party Supporters. The Georgian Dream Party Supporters but i think it is delusional to say the Georgian Public Support is what the government are trying to do the Georgian Dream Party Supports this. They need to continue to make clear, the International Community, what consequences there will be for georgias long term future. The georgian government is saying and doing very different things, on the one hand it is obviously trying to turn away from its path to eu membership by adopting this law. The eu has said this law could derail the membership pass. At the same time, eu membership is extremely important to the georgian public. Polling data showed the overwhelming majority of georgians, up to 90 , support and want georgias entry into the eu so if this law will scupper that it will put the government on a serious path of tension with the public. But this law is about stigmatising government critics and pushing these critics out of the way before the october elections, the october parliamentary elections. They want to make sure the most effective at organising election monitoring, the ones most effective at making sure there is transparency in the vote and the harshest critics of the government, the organisations that try to make sure all the pillars about the vote for a free and fair vote, whether it is election monitoring, media monitoring, making sure there are robust there is robust public coverage of the key issues, the government once these organisations out of the way and to make sure that they are weak and do not have an organisational base any more. Irate they are weak and do not have an organisational base any more. We had to be that bad, organisational base any more. We had to be that bad, but organisational base any more. We had to be that bad, but thank organisational base any more. We had to be that bad, but thank you organisational base any more. We had to be that bad, but thank you for to be that bad, but thank you for joining us live on the programme, racher denber. Lets speak to Maka Dzenladze who covers the caucasus for bbc monitoring in tbilisi. As we have heard over the last couple of islands, many people in georgia to view this as a crossroads moment . It georgia to view this as a crossroads moment . , ~. , georgia to view this as a crossroads moment . , a,. , moment . It is, matthew, it is really an existential moment . It is, matthew, it is really an existential moment moment . It is, matthew, it is really an existential moment for moment . It is, matthew, it is really an existential moment for the an existential moment for the country. Many georgians have been asking whether the georgian government is pivoting away from the west and towards russia after the parliament pushed through the highly contentious law on foreign influence that requires Media Outlets and ngos that requires Media Outlets and ngos that get more than 5 of their funding from abroad to register as organisations representing the interest of a foreign power. We see there is a strong public backlash against the law and protests continue, the protesters say they will not accept the law. We have also seen a heavy Police Presence outside parliament, this is the main venuein outside parliament, this is the main venue in central tbilisi, large protests have been taking place for weeks now. We have also seen some unconfirmed reports that protesters have been arrested because police said that the protests have turned violent. A said that the protests have turned violent. ,. ,. ,. , violent. Maka dzenladze, we have to leave it there. Violent. Maka dzenladze, we have to leave it there, thank violent. Maka dzenladze, we have to leave it there, thank you violent. Maka dzenladze, we have to leave it there, thank you very violent. Maka dzenladze, we have to leave it there, thank you very much l leave it there, thank you very much for that analysis. Let me take you to live pictures back in kyiv, sorry, tbilisi first of all, those pictures on the screen, because those protesters are still in big, big numbers, as are the security forces. We will continue to monitor that. Hea