NewsTens of thousands rally in Tbilisi against pro-Russia bill

Tens of thousands rally in Tbilisi against pro‑Russia bill

Tens of thousands of people protested in Tbilisi

Images source: © East News | Zurab Tsertsvadze

9:06 AM EDT, May 3, 2024

Tens of thousands of people protested in Tbilisi on Thursday, opposing a government-backed bill concerning foreign agents, which has already progressed through its second reading in parliament. Demonstrations also unfolded at the Georgian National Opera and Ballet Theater.

Since April 9, Georgia has seen continual protests triggered by the ruling Georgian Dream party's reintroduction of a bill. This legislation mandates that non-governmental organizations and media outlets receiving over 20 percent of their funding from abroad register as entities "acting in the interests of a foreign power" and submit detailed annual financial reports.

Critics liken the Georgian bill to a regulation enacted in Russia in 2012, utilized to harshly crack down on dissent and marginalize opposition to the Kremlin. They argue that the bill aims to draw Georgia closer to Russia, noting that similar laws have been passed in other former USSR states, including Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

In December, the EU recognized Georgia as an official candidate but outlined prerequisites for starting membership talks. These include judicial and electoral reforms, heightened press freedom, and curtailed oligarch influence.

Georgians Protest

Substantial protests against the bill, viewed as a move to suppress dissent and undermine Georgia's European Union membership ambitions, have been held in recent days in a show of defiance.

Chanting "No to Russia!" protesters in the capital conveyed a unified stance against government policies perceived as pro-Kremlin. A protester stated to AFP that they were all together to show the Kremlin puppets that they would not accept a government contrary to the will of the Georgian people.