The department also claims that as a result of the actions of the protesters, one policeman was injured and required medical assistance.
Thousands of people gathered at protests against the bill “On Transparency of Foreign Influence” near the parliament building on Rustaveli Avenue on Monday.
The bill was reintroduced by the ruling Georgian Dream party a year later after mass protests forced the authorities to withdraw the document.
The bill would require non-governmental organizations and media outlets that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “foreign agents.”
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said such legislation is necessary to ensure financial transparency of grant recipients.
However, opposition parties and independent journalists said the bill was an attempt to suppress critical voices in Georgia and derail the country’s chances of joining the EU.
According to them, the bill is a copy of the Russian law on “foreign agents.”
“Georgia will not surrender to re-Sovietization!” – President Salome Zurabishvili wrote on the social network X.
The Georgian government rejects any comparisons with Russian legislation.
The Legal Affairs Committee approved the bill in the first reading on Monday.
During the discussion, a fight broke out between opposition MP from the Citizens party Alexander Elisashvili and Georgian Dream secretary Mamuka Mdinaradze.
Elisashvili attacked his opponent and hit him on the head when he was answering questions from deputies from the podium.
After this, other deputies joined the fight. As a result, the live broadcast on the parliament website was interrupted, and Elisashvili was taken out of the hall.
A new protest is planned near parliament on Tuesday, starting at noon local time.
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2024-04-16 04:46:33