Sakartwell media reports that there are injuries. The police stated that they took measures because the rally was no longer peaceful. It was said that it was necessary to restore public order. President Salome Zurabishvili called on the police to immediately stop the violence against what she said were peaceful young demonstrators.
Parliament held its second – and penultimate – reading on Tuesday of the controversial law, which its opponents believe will be used, as in Russia, to control civil society. The vote is scheduled for Wednesday.
The draft law requires non-governmental organizations to disclose the sources of foreign funds. The ruling party “Sakartvel’s Dream” says it is aiming for greater transparency and control of foreign influence.
Many democracy promotion projects in Sakartvel are financed by the West, as well as the EU and the USA. Critics fear that the law could be abused along the lines of Moscow to stem the flow of money and persecute pro-Western forces.
Protests in the former Soviet republic, which is an EU candidate, have been going on for weeks. Parliamentary elections will be held in the country in autumn. On Monday, the ruling party gathered around 100,000 of its supporters for a rally in Tbilisi.
The EU and many member states strongly criticize the planned law on so-called foreign agents. Last year, the leadership in Tbilisi froze the project due to mass protests, but now they have decided to accept it. President S. Zurabishvili is mostly on the side of young pro-European demonstrators.
