The law, which is designed to curb the influence of so-called “foreign agents”, is seen as symbolic of Georgia’s shift towards an authoritarian regime and, critics say, is a copy of a similarly draconian law in neighboring Russia.
The planned legislation specifically obliges organizations to disclose financial transactions from abroad. They can be classified as “foreign agents” if they receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad.
Critics fear the law could have the same effect as a similar law in Russia used by the Moscow regime, which is increasingly being expanded to suppress opponents and silence critics. Opponents also fear that the new rules will hinder Georgia’s accession to the European Union. Some EU leaders and EU member states have already expressed their concern.
A majority of parliament supports the bill, but the country’s president has already announced that she will veto the law if necessary, because she fears it will jeopardize Georgia’s chances of joining the EU and also to join NATO.
The opposition party is also strongly opposed. On Monday, there was even a brawl in the Georgian parliament during a committee debate on the controversial bill.
LOOK. In the Georgian Parliament, lawmakers clashed during a committee debate on the law on Monday
And the atmosphere is also heated on the street. Just like yesterday, the police used water cannons, tear gas and smoke grenades at parliament this evening to disperse demonstrators.
A very striking image from yesterday: