Georgia drops bill on ‘foreign agents’ after two nights of violent protests, 9 March 2023

Georgia’s ruling party has said it will drop its bill on “foreign agents” after fierce opposition culminated in two nights of violent protests and criticism that the draft law would limit press freedom and undercut the country’s efforts to become a candidate for EU membership.

Thousands had rallied against the legislation, which was regarded as an authoritarian shift and could have undercut Tbilisi’s efforts to join the EU. Protesters said the proposed “foreign agent” bill mirrors a 2012 law in Russia that has since been used to crack down on dissent and suppress western-funded NGOs and media.

The Georgian Dream party said in a statement...it would “unconditionally withdraw the bill we supported without any reservations”. It cited the need to reduce “confrontation” in society.

The previous evening hundreds of police, many carrying riot shields, used water cannon and teargas in clashes in Georgia’s capital. More than 100 protesters were arrestedduring this week’s protests.

Thousands had marched in the streets to rally against the proposed law that would require any organisations receiving more than 20% of their funding from overseas to register as “foreign agents” or face substantial fines.

Protesters carrying Georgian, EU and Ukrainian flags gathered outside the parliament building and shouted: “No to the Russian law”...

Despite the bill withdrawal announcement, members of the Georgian opposition said they would stage a new rally...“There will be a rally today … we need to get clarity on how the governments intend to recall the bill because their statements are vague,” said Tsotne Koberidze, a member of the opposition.

The opposition has also urged the authorities to release all the protesters that were detained during this week’s protests...[A] crowd of several thousand people gathered in central Tbilisi.

Soon after, the Georgian ministry of interior said it had released all 133 people detained by police during the rallies, an announcement which was greeted with cheers by the demonstrators...