Why the President of Georgia supports protests against parliament (VIDEO)

The protesters in Tbilisi were supported by President Salome Zurabishvili. “Demonstration of civil society in Tbilisi once morest the “Russian law”. “Special forces” with water cannons and gas guns are ready to take action once morest the civilian population defending their European future. Detentions are taking place. Georgia will not put up with re-Sovietization!” – she wrote.

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili said she would veto the bill. At the same time, she noted that a parliamentary majority can overcome it. “My veto is the voice of the people and that voice must be heard,” she told the BBC.

The leader of the libertarian party Girchi-Meti Tavisupleba, Zurab Japaridze, said that those detained at night near the Georgian parliament in Tbilisi were beaten by a group of people. According to him, this did not happen during the arrest. Protesters reported that police used excessive force without warning, including once morest journalists.

Last year, the ruling Georgian Dream party already introduced a bill “On the transparency of foreign influence.” On March 7, 2023, the Georgian parliament approved the bill in the first reading, which led to mass protests. On March 8, the action resumed, and on the morning of March 9, the Georgian Dream and the Power of the People movement withdrew this bill from parliament.

Despite this, at the beginning of April 2024, Georgian Dream reintroduced the bill to parliament. Unlike the first version, the revised document uses the wording “organization pursuing foreign interests” instead of the term “agent of foreign influence.”

According to the bill, organizations pursuing foreign interests will be considered non-profit legal entities and media outlets, more than 20% of whose income will come from foreign sources.

NGOs and media are obliged to apply for registration to the National Agency of Public Registry themselves. If they evade registration, they face a fine of 25,000 lari ($9,300). In addition, fines are provided for failure to eliminate violations and repeated violations.