Georgia rocked by clashes over ‘foreign agent’ bill
Georgia’s riot police deployed tear gas and water cannons to disperse crowds protesting a bill criticized by the opposition for its perceived targeting of media freedoms.
Demonstrators clashed with police outside the parliament building in Tbilisi, hurling eggs and bottles. While the crowds eventually retreated, confrontations persisted along the main Rustaveli Avenue late into Tuesday night. Numerous injuries and arrests were reported.
The bill dubbed the “foreign agent” bill, received preliminary approval from MPs on April 17th. Proposed by the ruling Georgian Dream party, it mandates that NGOs and independent media receiving over 20% of their funding from foreign sources register as entities “aligned with foreign interests.”
Additionally, these organizations would be subject to oversight by Georgia’s justice ministry and could face significant fines, reaching up to 25,000 Georgian lari ($9,400; £7,500), for non-compliance.
The bill’s initial passage sparked widespread street demonstrations. During Tuesday’s clashes in Tbilisi, several protesters sustained injuries, including Levan Khabeishvili, chairman of the main opposition party United National Movement, who was reportedly hospitalized after a severe beating. Eyewitnesses also observed instances of police officers physically assaulting protesters, according to Reuters.
The Georgian authorities have yet to address these reports of injuries. Critics of the bill argue that it mirrors authoritarian legislation employed by neighboring Russia to suppress dissent.
They fear its implementation could silence critical voices ahead of upcoming parliamentary elections.
Similarities have been drawn to Russia’s 2012 law, which has been used by the Kremlin to marginalize opposition figures, media outlets, and civil society organizations.
She says many are also worried that such a law will derail Georgia from its path towards the much-coveted status of EU membership which – according to a poll by the US National Democratic Institute – is supported by nearly 80% of Georgians.
Georgia was granted EU candidate status in December 2023, but now both Brussels and Washington have said the adoption of the foreign agents law would be detrimental to Georgia’s European ambitions.
Several European leaders have warned the proposed bill is “incompatible” with European norms and values.
But the government of Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze is standing firm.
Mr Kobakhidze has accused NGOs of attempting to stage revolutions in Georgia twice, of promoting “gay propaganda” and of attacking the Georgian Orthodox Church.
The government insists the bill is about ensuring transparency and rejects the notion that it is against European values – or that Russia is behind the legislation.
On Monday, Georgian Dream organized its rally in response to the protests. Bidzina Ivanishvili, the party’s billionaire founder, addressed the crowds, strongly criticizing the West.