Tens of thousands of people on Sunday they demonstrated in the center of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, to protest against the proposed law on so-called “foreign agents”. The demonstration was organized by opposition parties and associations dealing with the protection of human rights. According to the news agency AFP they would participate around 20 thousand people, who marched along the main street of Tbilisi towards the parliament.
About two weeks ago there were similar protests, also in Tbilisi, during which 14 people were arrested.
The bill, presented by the government, provides that media and NGOs that receive at least 20 percent of their funds from abroad must register as entities that “pursue the interests of a foreign power”: according to the opposition and protesters the proposed law follows the one that has been used in Russia since 2012 to repress dissent, hinder the work of independent media and in some cases cause their closure. The passage of the law could also jeopardize the European Union accession process of Georgia, which obtained candidate country status last December.
The second reading of the bill is scheduled for tomorrow. In Georgia, in order to be approved, a law must pass through three “readings” in the country’s unicameral parliament: to simplify, with the first reading the bill is introduced and presented to the men and women deputies; the second reading, the one scheduled for Tuesday, is a mostly ceremonial step that takes place when the bill is still being examined by the competent commission; with the third reading the bill is debated in parliament and then voted on.
The government had already proposed a very similar law in 2023, but then abandoned it following intense protests.
– Read also: Protests against the law on “foreign agents” have resumed in Georgia