Deputies in Tbilisi voted 83 in favor and 23 against in favor of adopting the law, which opponents see as an instrument to suppress critical media and organizations. Shortly after the decision, tens of thousands of demonstrators poured into the streets.
They gathered in front of the parliament building in the Georgian capital Tbilisi and waved the flags of Georgia and the European Union, AFP reporters reported. The day before, the police had dispersed the demonstrators there with tear gas and rubber bullets. There were 63 arrests.
Foreign Ministry in Vienna “deeply concerned”
The Foreign Ministry in Vienna said on X that it was “deeply concerned” about the violence against peaceful demonstrators in Georgia. Peaceful assembly and freedom of expression are the cornerstones of every democracy. “We support Georgians’ right to protest and call for a return to dialogue” because a strong civil society is essential for Georgia’s European path, the tweet said.
The ruling Georgian Dream party is aiming for the law to come into force in mid-May. It stipulates that organizations that receive at least 20 percent of their funding from abroad must register officially in Georgia. Critics see clear parallels in this with the law against “foreign agents” in Russia, which allows the authorities there to take massive action against critical media and organizations.
Protests against the “Russian law” have been going on in the former Soviet republic of Georgia for several weeks. Georgia has officially been a candidate for EU membership since December – Brussels had declared that the law undermined the country’s membership ambitions.
