Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 3rd May. UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Türk on Thursday urged the authorities in Georgia to scrap the controversial bill and engage in dialogue as protests continue in Georgia over a proposed draft law on curbing foreign influence,.
According to the UN human rights office, thousands of people have taken to the streets for days to protest the draft Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence, which would require media and NGOs received more than 20 per cent of funding from abroad to register as “organizations acting in the interest of a foreign power”.
Mr. Türk voiced concern over reports of unnecessary and disproportionate use of force against demonstrators and media personnel in the Tbilisi this week.
He urged the authorities to fully respect and protect the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
“Any restrictions to these rights must abide by principles of legality, necessity and proportionality. The use of force during protests should always be exceptional and a measure of last resort when facing an imminent threat,” he said.
Mr. Türk called on the authorities to conduct prompt and transparent investigations into all allegations of ill-treatment during or after protests or in detention.
“All those who were detained arbitrarily for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly must be released immediately. Charges against them must also be dropped,” he said.
He appealed for demonstrators and protest organizers to exercise their rights peacefully and not to resort to violence.
Mr. Turk called on the authorities to withdraw the draft law and engage in dialogue, including with civil society and media organizations.
He said that “Labeling NGOs and media outlets receiving foreign funding as ‘organizations acting in the interest of a foreign power’ poses serious threats to the rights to freedom of expression and association,”.
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