Several thousand demonstrators took to the streets on Saturday evening in Tbilisi, Georgia, to once again protest against the controversial bill on “foreign influence” wanted by the government but criticized by the United States and the European Union.
In the crowd, which converged on Europe Square, demonstrators, according to an AFP journalist, displayed the flags of Georgia and the European Union, which Tbilisi says it wants to join, despite this text which its detractors consider similar. to Russian legislation used against the opposition.
Georgia, a small Caucasus country, has been gripped by anti-government protests since early April after the ruling Georgian Dream party reintroduced a bill seen as an obstacle to Tbilisi’s aspirations to join the EU. Because this text is inspired by Russian legislation used for several years by the Kremlin to repress dissident voices.
The bill must still pass its third reading in Parliament very soon and President Salomé Zourabichvili, in conflict with the ruling party, is expected to veto it. The Georgian Dream, however, has enough votes to be able to override it.
If the controversial law is passed, it will require any NGO or media organization receiving more than 20% of its funding from abroad to register as an “organization pursuing the interests of a foreign power.” The government assures for its part that this measure is intended to force organizations to demonstrate greater “transparency” regarding their funding.
