Officials responsible for pushing forward Georgia’s “foreign agents” law could face asset freezes and travel bans under a new bill to be presented to the U.S. Congress, Ednews reports citing POLITICO.
A leaked draft bill seen by POLITICO would target ruling party lawmakers and law enforcement officers, as well as possible Russian agents in the country.
As part of an effort at “protecting and securing democracy,” the draft law would mandate sanctions against government officials and others who “have material responsibility for undermining or injuring democracy, human rights, or security in Georgia.” It would introduce visa bans for politicians and the families of politicians who are responsible for the passage of “the recent Russia-style foreign agent legislation” targeting NGOs and media outlets that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad.
South Carolina Republican Representative Joe Wilson will introduce the bill as soon as Monday.
The penalties would also target Georgian law enforcement and the security services, who have clamped down on protests against the foreign agent bill.