Security forces clashed with protesters in the Georgian capital on Wednesday night after the eastern European nation introduced controversial new legislation in the parliament that has sparked weeks of demonstrations.
Protesters have taken to the streets since the ruling Georgian Dream party pushed a bill through parliament early last month that the pro-Western opposition says could be used to suppress dissent and hinder the country’s efforts to join the European Union. The capital, Tbilisi, night after night.
Their numbers surged after parliament approved the bill on Wednesday in the second of three necessary rounds of votes.
this draft bill Non-governmental groups and media organizations with more than 20% of their funding coming from foreign sources will be required to register as organizations “carrying the interests of foreign powers” and provide annual financial statements on their activities. Violations will result in hefty fines.
It is similar to a 2012 Russian law that used Suppression of anti-Kremlin advocacy groups and media organizations. Critics say one of the goals of the new bill, which they call “Russian law,” is to align Georgia, a former Soviet nation of 3.6 million people, more closely with Moscow.
“The people of Georgia want their country to have a European future,” she write on X. “Georgia is at a crossroads. It should remain on the path to Europe.”
The government, led by Georgian Dream since 2012, said the bill aimed to make foreign funding more transparent and U.S. law dating back to 1938 and other similar measures passed or proposed by other Western countries.
It tried to pass the law last year but faced mass protest. This time, the party appears determined to push the bill through parliament, although lawmakers will likely have to override a veto by the country’s president, Salome Zourabichvili.
Ms Zurabichvili, whose role in Georgia’s parliamentary system is largely ceremonial, was supported by the Georgian Dream party when she was elected in 2018, but has since become a fierce critic of the ruling party.
Marika Kochiashvili contributed reporting.
