#Police #Tbilisi #intervened #protesters #vote #law #foreign #agents #ČT24 #Czech
On Wednesday, the Georgian parliament passed the second reading of the bill on “foreign agents”. It introduces an obligation for foreign-funded organizations to register as agents of foreign influence. A similar norm is abused by the Russian regime to suppress the opposition. The proposal sparked another large protest, the police dispersed it with tear gas, just like on Tuesday.
83 deputies voted for the law, which the government wants to finally approve by mid-May, and 23 were against. It still has to go through a third reading. It is then assumed to be vetoed by President Salome Zurabishvili, which government MPs can override with their majority.
Tens of thousands of people gathered in the evening to protest the law, AFP reported. Waving flags of Georgia and the European Union, protesters gathered in front of the parliament building. The police then used tear gas and stun grenades against the protesters, writes .
The proposal has repeatedly brought thousands of Georgians to the streets since the ruling Georgian Dream party submitted it to parliament in mid-April. Police detained more than 60 protesters and six policemen were injured in clashes outside the parliament building on Tuesday, Interior Minister Aleksandre Darachvelidze said. Police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse the protesters.
“Don’t leave the road to Europe,” von der Leyen said
The law has raised concerns in Brussels, which has warned that the adoption of this type of law could damage Georgia’s chances of joining the EU.
The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said she was watching with “deep concern” the demonstrations in Georgia, which were being suppressed by the police. She condemned the violence and called on the Georgian government “not to leave the road to Europe”. “Georgian citizens express their deep commitment to democracy and the Georgian government should heed this clear message,” she said in a statement posted on the X network. She also wrote that the EU has made clear its concerns about the upcoming foreign influence law.
According to the Georgian Dream party, the upcoming law should bring more clarity to the financing of non-governmental organizations. Opponents call the document a “Russian law”, modeled after Russia, where similar legislation has allowed the Kremlin to suppress opposition and non-governmental organizations and silence independent media.
The Georgian Dream, which has ruled the Caucasian country of five million since 2012, is accused by critics of authoritarian tendencies and too close to Russia. But the ruling party remains the country’s most popular grouping, according to opinion polls, even though its popularity has waned since the last election in 2020.
