There have been protests in Georgia for weeks against a planned law that would expose foreign influences on civil society. The mood is heated – the police once again took action against demonstrators.
In Georgia in the South Caucasus, the police used force against demonstrators. The protests, which have been going on for weeks, are directed against government plans to prevent alleged foreign influence on civil society. The emergency services used tear gas and water cannons to push the demonstrators away from the parliament in the capital Tbilisi and cleared the main street, Rustaveli Prospekt. Georgian media reported that several people were injured. The police said that the rally was no longer peaceful. Public order must be restored.
President Salome Zurabishvili called on the police to immediately stop the violent crackdown against what she said were peaceful young demonstrators.
MPs debate controversial NGO law
In parliament, MPs debated the controversial law in its second and penultimate reading, which, according to its opponents, should be used to control civil society, as in Russia. The draft stipulates that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) must disclose foreign sources of funding.
The ruling Georgian Dream party says it wants to ensure more transparency and control foreign influence in this way. Many projects to promote democracy in Georgia are financed by the West, including the EU and the USA. Critics fear that this law will be misused following the Moscow model to stop the flow of money and persecute pro-Western forces.
Find it for weeks Demonstrations instead of
The protests in the country, which is a candidate for EU membership, have been going on for weeks. There will be a parliamentary election in the fall. On Monday, the ruling party brought together around 100,000 supporters for a rally in Tbilisi. The party’s strong man, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, gave a speech that announced a clearly authoritarian course.
Before his party’s government in 2012, Georgia was run by foreign agents of influence, Ivanishvili said. He described the opposition National Movement as “a single criminal and treasonous group” and threatened to hold them accountable after the election. The former head of government accused the West of using Georgia and Ukraine as cannon fodder in the fight against Moscow.
The EU and many of its member states have sharply criticized the planned law on so-called foreign agents. Last year, the leadership in Tbilisi put the draft on ice in the face of mass protests. With the new attempt, Ivanishvili and Prime Minister Iraqi Kobachidze are determined to introduce the law. President Zurabishvili is on the side of the mostly young, pro-European demonstrators.