STORY: The bill would require organizations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as being agents of foreign influence. It is likely to pass in a parliament controlled by the ruling Georgian Dream party and its allies.
Georgian lawmakers on Tuesday agreed an early draft of a controversial "foreign influence" bill, sparking fresh street protests against the legislation criticised for mirroring a repressive Russian law.
Protesters took to the streets while lawmakers came to blows in parliament as ruling party legislators looked set to advance controversial ‘foreign agent’ bill
Scuffles broke out in Georgia's parliament on Monday over the government's re-introduction of a controversial "foreign influence" bill that critics say mirrors repressive Russian legislation used to silence and intimidate dissidents.
Lawmakers in Georgia's legislature scuffled on Monday as the parliament debated a divisive new law dubbed the foreign agent bill. Hours later, hundreds of people protested against the legislation outside the parliament in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi.
"No to the Russian law," chanted thousands of protesters outside parliament, many waving EU and Georgian flags. A previous attempt by the government to introduce a "foreign agents" bill was abandoned in the face of mass street protests last year.