Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili signed a package of laws “on the protection of family values and minors.” The so-called “anti-LGBT law” was not previously signed or vetoed by President Salome Zurabishvili.
Papuashvili said the signed regulations, which will enter into force 60 days after publication, “defend what is most valuable to a person, i.e. family and children”. He added that the authorities are ready for “criticism from some foreign partners”.
In September, the Georgian parliament passed a package of bills of the pro-Kremlin ruling Georgian Dream party as anti-LGBT propaganda legislation providing for a ban on same-sex unions, adoption by non-heterosexuals or gender reassignment. The regulations mainly target schools where they will prohibit the transmission of information that could be interpreted as “propaganda of belonging to the opposite sex, same-sex relationships or incest”, the so-called by the global far-right (and Russia) “LGBT ideology”. However, this law is the second case of introducing modelled Russian law provisions into Georgian law. The Georgian Dream government previously introduced a law on so-called foreign agents restricting NGO, civil society and opposition parties operations.
Georgia will hold parliamentary elections on 26 October, in which the ruling party is expected to win its fourth consecutive victory and a constitutional majority. The Georgian government’s increasingly anti-Western rhetoric and turn towards Russia make the upcoming elections a “Referendum-like” event between Russia and the EU.
