The Daily Beat: 10 March
Under the weight of the protests, the ruling Georgian Dream scrapped the law on transparency of foreign funding in the second reading. Notably, none of the 76 majority MPs that supported the bill on March 7 voted against it on March 10. The Speaker of the parliament also withdrew his request from the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission to review the bill.
Moscow promptly reacted to the events in Tbilisi, saying it had nothing to do with the bill. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov, and Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin were among poured criticism on Georgia and accused the west of meddling in its affairs. Lavrov waxed ironic at the west’s criticism of the Moldovan opposition and its support to the Georgian one. Volodin said by recalling the bill, Georgia missed its chance to have a sovereign foreign policy.
The Russian Ministry of Economic Development asked citizens to refrain from traveling to Georgia. “If you are already in the country, we recommend avoiding visiting crowded places, particularly the historical centers of Batumi and Tbilisi,” the ministry’s press service said.
As part of her ongoing visit to the US, on March 9, President Zurabishvili was interviewed about the last days’ events and Georgia’s EU aspirations. “When the society is united, they can defeat even the majority in the Parliament, which is essential,” the president said. She also said Georgia has many challenges ahead on its road toward the EU.
The European human rights court (ECHR) held Russia responsible for violating human rights by de-facto Abkhaz authorities. The court established the human rights of two Georgian men, Levan Mamasakhlisi and Grigol Nanava were trampled upon in a case that dates back to their arrest and ill-treatment by de-facto Abkhaz authorities in 2001 and 2003 respectively. The court found that by its political and economic support for Abkhazia and its dissuasive military involvement, Russia exercised effective control over the territory and was therefore liable, while Georgia was cleared of charges.
