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Riot police outside parliament building during a protest against the bill on foreign influence transparency in Tbilisi last night. Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Foreign Agents
Georgia's ruling party has dropped controversial legislation that provoked mass protests
Opposition parties have vowed to continue protesting despite the ruling party’s promise to revoke a controversial new law on ‘foreign agents.
LAST UPDATE | 9 Mar 2023
GEORGIAN OPPOSITION PARTIES have vowed to continue protesting despite the ruling party’s promise to revoke a controversial new law on “foreign agents” that sparked large rallies and international outcry.
Earlier this morning, the ruling Georgian Dream party announced it was halting plans to introduce the controversial bill, which is seen as reminiscent of Russian legislation used to silence critics.
“For as long as there are no guarantees that Georgia is firmly on a pro-Western course, these processes will not stop,” a group of opposition parties said in a joint statement, announcing a fresh rally for this evening.
“We demand that dozens of protesters that were arrested be immediately released,” Tsotne Koberidze of the opposition Girchi party said, reading out the statement at a news conference.
Georgia’s parliament gave its initial backing to the legislation this week in a move that triggered mass protests.
Police fired water cannon and tear gas at thousands of demonstrators and issued a dispersal order.
The demonstrations later grew into wider protests against the Georgian government’s perceived pro-Kremlin drift.
The European Union and United States criticised the legislation as a blow to Georgian democracy and the Black Sea nation’s bid to join the European Union and NATO.
Concern has been growing that the former Soviet republic is taking an authoritarian turn and moving closer to the Kremlin.
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