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Thousands Protest in Georgia After Parliament Backs Foreign Agent Bill

Georgia protests: Thousands on street for second day over 'foreign agent' bill

BBC 9 MAR 2023

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Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of Georgia's capital for the second day after parliament backed a draft law which critics say limits press freedom and civil liberties.

On Tuesday, demonstrators clashed with police who used water cannon and pepper spray to disperse them.

The government said 50 police officers were hurt and equipment was damaged.

Some 66 people were arrested, including an opposition leader who was reportedly beaten.

Some protesters in Tbilisi were seen falling on the ground and coughing, while others waved EU and Georgian flags.

There has been widespread international condemnation of the bill. It would require non-governmental and media organisations that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad to declare themselves as "foreign agents", or face hefty fines and possible imprisonment.

The opposition says the Russian-style law marks a shift towards authoritarianism and would damage Georgia's chances of joining the EU.

On Tuesday, police warned protesters to disperse with a repeated message blaring through loudspeakers. Eventually, officers in riot gear cleared the Rustaveli Avenue, the main thoroughfare outside parliament.

US state department spokesman Ned Price said the draft legislation would be a tremendous setback and "would strike at some of the very rights that are central to the aspirations of the people of Georgia".

The EU is currently considering Georgia's application for candidate status and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned that the bill was "incompatible with EU values and standards". Many of those protesting waved EU flags.

Russia passed its own version of a "foreign agents" law in 2012, expanding it over the years to target and suppress Western-funded NGOs and media.

"The law is Russian as we all know... We don't want to be a part of the ex-Soviet Union, we want to be a part of the European Union, we want to be pro-West," one protester told Reuters news agency.

Georgia and Russia: The Basics

Georgia was invaded by Russia in 2008: It came 17 years after it gained independence from the Soviet Union, an alliance of communist states that broke apart in 1991

Russian forces occupy two breakaway regions of Georgia: South Ossetia and Abkhazia make up about 20% of Georgian territory

Pulled between the West and Russia: Georgia has sought to join Nato and the EU, but critics accuse current ruling party Georgian Dream of trying to return the country to Russia's influence