The police have fired tear gas at the protesters and arrested dozens of protesters.
8.3. 15:09•Updated 8.3. 15:09
Thousands of people have demonstrated in the capital of Georgia, Tbilisi.
The central reason for the expanding protests is the proposal that restricts the rights of citizens. If it were to be implemented, operators who enter into and maintain international relations would have to register. The issue has been written about by, among others, the British broadcasting company BBC (you will switch to another service).
The opposition opposes the bill, which would allow different entities to be designated as foreign agents, following the Russian model. In Russia, the independent news website Meduza, currently operating in Latvia, has been declared as unwanted actors.
In the Caucasus, Georgia’s main opposition party is calling for new demonstrations against the controversial bill.
– From three o’clock in the afternoon, Georgians start gathering on Rustaveli Street and this continues every single day, the politician Nika Melia said.
The opposition has called on people to take to the streets during the evening. Demonstrations are organized because the bill received initial support in parliament yesterday.
people were on the move, especially in Tbilisi. There were estimated to be thousands of people. At least 66 people have been arrested.
At least one protester reportedly threw an alcohol bottle at riot police. The police are said to have injuries requiring hospital treatment.
The president stood in support of the protesters
President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili has come out in support of the protesters and vowed to use his veto to prevent the law from taking effect.
– I am with you, because today you represent a free Georgia, which sees its future in Europe and will not let anyone steal this future, Zurabishvili said in a video recorded in the United States.
Zurabishvili is currently on an official visit to the United States.
The US Embassy in Georgia called the bill inspired by the Russian regime and said it contradicted Georgia’s EU membership aspirations.
Georgian authorities have been criticized for slowing down democratic reforms. Among other things, the decision to imprison the country’s former president has received criticism Mikhail Saakashvili. For example, the human rights organization Amnesty International has called Saakashvili’s sentence a political revenge.
Russia occupied the former Soviet republic in 2008. Russian forces are still present in two regions, South Ossetia and Abkhazia**.** The pro-Russian regions declared independence from Georgia in the same year. They make up about a fifth of Georgia’s area.
Sources: Reuters, STT