Thousands of people in Sakartvele again protested against the “foreign agents” bill

Mass anti-government protests have gripped the Caucasus state since April 9, when the ruling Sakartvel Dream party resumed plans to pass a law that critics say resembles Russian legislation used to silence opponents of the Kremlin.

The bill passed a second reading in parliament by 83 votes to 23 on Wednesday, a day after police used tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets to disperse demonstrators, beating and detaining scores of people.

The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, condemned the violence and urged Sakartwell not to stop on his way to Europe.

“I am watching the situation in Sakartveli with great concern and condemn the violence on the streets of Tbilisi,” she wrote on the X social network. – The people of Sakartvelo want a European future for their country. Sakartwell found himself at a crossroads. He should keep the direction on the road to Europe.”

According to an AFP reporter who was on the scene, tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in front of the parliament building on Wednesday night, waving the flags of Sarkartvel and the EU. During the rally, as has become customary, the Sakartveli and EU anthems were played.

Later in the evening, police used pepper spray and water cannons against hundreds of demonstrators who tried to block a side entrance to the legislature.

“Their senseless violence is futile – the protest will only grow as public anger against our government grows,” 20-year-old protester Tato Gachechiladze told AFP.

“Sakartvel belongs to Europe, and we will not tolerate Russian laws and a pro-Russian government,” he added.

The Ministry of the Interior said that the police used special measures provided for by law, such as pepper spray canisters and water cannons, in order to restore law and order.

EU membership

Similar rallies were held across the country this week, including in Sakartveli’s second-largest city, Batumi, and Kutaisi, the main city in the western Imereti region.

In October, parliamentary elections will be held in Sakartvel, considered an important test of democracy in the former Soviet republic, which is seeking to join the EU.

The ruling Sakartvelo Dream party defends the bill, saying it aims to increase the transparency of foreign funding of civic groups. She aims to have the bill signed by mid-May.

In order for the project to become a law, it must pass three readings in the parliament and be signed by the president.

Sakartveli President Salome Zurabishvili, who is at odds with the ruling party, is expected to veto the legislation, but the ruling party has enough MPs to override the veto.

If the law is passed, all independent NGOs and media organizations receiving more than 20% funds from abroad, will have to register as an “organization acting in accordance with the interests of a foreign state”.

Last year, a wave of anti-government protests forced Sakartvel’s Dream to abandon similar legislation.

For years, Sakartvel has sought to strengthen relations with the West, but the current ruling party is accused of trying to bring the former Soviet republic closer to Russia.

The chairman of the European Council, Charles Michel, has said that this draft law does not correspond to Sakartveli’s aspirations in the EU and the trajectory of his accession to the bloc. In X, he wrote that “this will further distance Sakartwell from the EU, rather than bringing it closer.”

In December, Brussels granted Sakartveli official candidate status, but said Tbilisi would have to reform its judicial and electoral systems, reduce political polarization, improve media freedom and limit the power of oligarchs before formal membership talks could begin.

Sakartveli’s aspiration to become a member of the EU and NATO is enshrined in the country’s constitution and, according to public opinion polls, it is supported by more than 80 percent. population.