Two nights of clashes between police and thousands of protesters in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, prompted the ruling party on Thursday to abandon legislation targeting “foreign agents” that had been strongly criticized by the US and the European Union.
(Bloomberg) — Two nights of clashes between police and thousands of protesters in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, prompted the ruling party on Thursday to abandon legislation targeting “foreign agents” that had been strongly criticized by the US and the European Union.
Riot police deployed tear gas, pepper spray and a water cannon to disperse demonstrators gathered outside the parliament, where some protesters smashed windows and pulled down protective barriers. More than 150 people were detained during the protests that continued into the early hours each night, with some activists attempting to set up barricades on the street.
The unrest was triggered after lawmakers passed the draft bill at first reading on Monday in the face of widespread criticism of the measure by Georgian opposition parties, media and civil society groups. The legislation threatened fines and imprisonment for as long as five years to organizations or individuals receiving at least 20% of their income from abroad and that failed to register with the government as an “agent of foreign influence.”
While Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili defended the measure as necessary to improve accountability, Georgia’s president, Salome Zourabichvili, backed the protesters and called for the law to be dropped in a late-night video address after Tuesday’s violence.
The EU called the law “incompatible” with its values and the US said it was “deeply concerned and troubled” by the measure. Both had warned Georgia’s authorities that passage of the legislation would harm their relations. Since the 2003 pro-Western “Rose Revolution,” Georgia has sought to pull away from Russia’s influence by seeking membership of the EU and of NATO.
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