Thousands rally in Georgia as Parliament advances ‘foreign influence’ bill
Al Jazeera
Georgia’s Parliament moved a step closer to passing a bill that critics fear will stifle media freedom and endanger the country’s European Union membership bid, as police used water cannon, tear gas and pepper spray against tens of thousands of people who took to the streets in protest.
On Wednesday, Parliament approved the second reading of the “foreign influence” bill that has been criticised as mirroring a draconian Russian law, with lawmakers voting 83 to 23 to adopt the measure.
Dozens of people were arrested the night before and mass rallies have continued daily in the capital, Tbilisi.
The law would require media and noncommercial organisations to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they receive more than 20 percent of funding from abroad. The governing Georgian Dream party withdrew a similar proposal last year following massive protests.
The bill will go through a third and final vote in Parliament. The governing party has said it wants to sign it into law by mid-May.
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