Georgia's parliament passes controversial 'foreign agents' bill, despite the many thousands of protests in recent weeks. During the debates in the plenary hall, a fight broke out between MPs from the ruling party and the opposition, BNR reported.
Georgian MPs passed the third and last reading of the law, called the "Russian law" because of its similarity to Moscow's repressive legislation, with 84 votes in favor against 30 "against". Footage from the meeting, accompanied by another protest in front of the parliament building, shows clashes between MPs from the ruling Georgian Dream party and the opposition.
The bill requires organizations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as agents of foreign influence. Its critics liken it to Russia's foreign agent law, which the Kremlin has used to prosecute critics of President Vladimir Putin. Opponents of the bill have been organizing protests in Tbilisi for a month.
The European Union, which granted Georgia candidate status in December, has repeatedly said the bill will be an obstacle to the country's further integration. An EC spokesperson said today that the EU will discuss a common response if the controversial law is passed.
"The member states have clearly indicated that, if this law is approved, it will become a serious obstacle to Georgia's European perspective," said the spokesperson of the European External Action Service, Peter Stano. The US, Britain, Germany, Italy and France have already called on Georgia's rulers to withdraw it, and the Kremlin today accused the West of interfering in Tbilisi's internal affairs. Against the background of the protests, which are still continuing in front of the parliament building, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze met with the US Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia James O'Brien in Tbilisi.
Georgian police riot squads were deployed in central Tbilisi to disperse protests against the law. Law enforcement used water cannon to break up the protest, but people refused to disperse. The central streets of the Georgian capital were filled with people who are against the law.