protests continue against ‘foreign influence’ law

A thousand protesters demonstrated against a Russian-inspired bill on “foreign influence” Monday May 13 in front of the Georgian Parliament in Tbilisi, according to an AFP journalist, continuing a rally attended by tens of thousands of people during the night, before gradually dispersing. At dawn, a group of around ten demonstrators was arrested by the police.

The text, an initiative of the ruling Georgian Dream party, of the wealthy Bidzina Ivanishvili, is seen by the protesters as an obstacle on Georgia’s path towards membership in the European Union, which has sharply criticized it. If adopted, the law will require any NGO or media organization receiving more than 20% of its funding from abroad to register as an “organization pursuing the interests of a foreign power.”