During the debates, elected officials from the majority confronted several others from the opposition with punches, according to images broadcast by public television.
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A barely believable scene. A fight broke out on Tuesday, May 14, between Georgian deputies during the examination in Parliament of the controversial bill on “foreign influence”, which the ruling party wishes to adopt during the day despite significant demonstrations of opposition.
During the debates with a view to adopting the text on the third and final reading, elected officials from the majority confronted several others from the opposition with punches, according to images broadcast by public television.
Monday, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze promised that Parliament would vote on the law the next day, ignoring calls from the streets and criticism from the United States and the European Union.
If adopted, the law will require any NGO or media receiving more than 20% of its funding from abroad to register as an“organization pursuing the interests of a foreign power”.
Critics of the text have nicknamed it “Russian law” because it imitates legislation widely used by the Kremlin to suppress the opposition. The reference is particularly sensitive in Georgia, a country which swings between Russian and European spheres of influence and was invaded by Moscow during a brief war in 2008.
