Thousands of people, and according to some estimates, tens of thousands, gathered in front of the Georgian parliament on Monday evening to protest against the Foreign Agents Law.
According to local media, police and Spetsnaz (special forces) are on alert, and four people are known to have been detained.
“There is a huge peaceful demonstration by civil society against the ‘Russian law’. Spetsnaz with water cannons and tear gas are ready to move in against civilians defending their European future. Arrests are underway. Georgia will not submit to re-sovietization,” President Salome Zourabichviliili wrote on X.
Some sections of the media, while criticizing the actions of the ruling Georgian Dream party, noted that the resumption of work on the controversial law has prompted positive comments in Russia.
In addition, commentators highlighted Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s behavior. Defending the law on “transparency of foreign influence,” he called for a public televised debate between the ambassadors of the U.S. and EU countries. Moreover, he accused them of trying to “fulfill the function of Georgian lawmakers.”
“There is a huge peaceful demonstration by civil society against the ‘Russian law’. Spetsnaz with water cannons and tear gas are ready to move in against civilians defending their European future. Arrests are underway. Georgia will not submit to re-sovietization,” President Salome Zourabichviliili wrote on X.
The Interior Ministry said during the demonstration that officers of the ministry’s various structures were on alert. It also warned that “any violation will be immediately stopped in accordance with the law.”🇬🇪🇷🇺⚡ Massive protests in Georgia, Tbilisi, protesting the 'Foreign Agent' bill. pic.twitter.com/qruKZaofmW
— War Watch (@WarWatchs) April 15, 2024
Some sections of the media, while criticizing the actions of the ruling Georgian Dream party, noted that the resumption of work on the controversial law has prompted positive comments in Russia.
In addition, commentators highlighted Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s behavior. Defending the law on “transparency of foreign influence,” he called for a public televised debate between the ambassadors of the U.S. and EU countries. Moreover, he accused them of trying to “fulfill the function of Georgian lawmakers.”
Representatives of the U.S., EU, and UN have expressed concern over the resumption of laws over the bill and called on the Georgian authorities to withdraw from the project, which was canceled last year after mass protests.
It has been noted that it contradicts Georgia’s European aspirations and the Euro integration process. Georgia was granted EU candidate status in December 2023.
Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party, now in its third term, is revisiting the law on foreign agents (now rebranded as the law on ‘transparency of foreign influence’), which it abandoned last March after massive protests and criticism from Western countries.
Modeled on the Russian law, hence also referred to simply as the ‘Russian Law’ or the Foreign Agents Law, it stipulates that organizations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad would be subject to registration and reporting and would go on a special register of agents of foreign influence.
On Monday, the bill was discussed at a meeting of the parliamentary legal committee. During the debates, an opposition politician punched a representative of Georgian Dream, starting a brawl.
Despite this and several other reported incidents, such as the turning off of microphones and expelling opposition deputies from the room, the legal committee approved the bill, the website Civil.ge reported on Monday evening.
On Tuesday, the Georgian parliament will vote on the draft in the first reading.
It has been noted that it contradicts Georgia’s European aspirations and the Euro integration process. Georgia was granted EU candidate status in December 2023.
Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party, now in its third term, is revisiting the law on foreign agents (now rebranded as the law on ‘transparency of foreign influence’), which it abandoned last March after massive protests and criticism from Western countries.
Modeled on the Russian law, hence also referred to simply as the ‘Russian Law’ or the Foreign Agents Law, it stipulates that organizations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad would be subject to registration and reporting and would go on a special register of agents of foreign influence.
On Monday, the bill was discussed at a meeting of the parliamentary legal committee. During the debates, an opposition politician punched a representative of Georgian Dream, starting a brawl.
Despite this and several other reported incidents, such as the turning off of microphones and expelling opposition deputies from the room, the legal committee approved the bill, the website Civil.ge reported on Monday evening.
On Tuesday, the Georgian parliament will vote on the draft in the first reading.
Source:
