Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili has signed into law a bill that curbs some LGBT rights and bans ‘propaganda’ of non-heterosexual relationships in the post-Soviet country.
The legislation, backed by the ruling Georgian Dream party, has been criticized in the West and by the party’s domestic opponents, including President Salome Zourabichvili. She declined to sign the bill, but did not veto it, instead returning the document without comment to parliament, putting the final decision into Papuashvili’s hands.
In a Facebook post on Thursday announcing the signing, Papuashvili lashed out at the president and “opposition members hiding behind her.” He reiterated that the changes are meant to protect family values and are aligned with the cultural and religious preferences of the Georgian people.
