No to Russian Law: Protests Continue Outside Georgian Parliament

This morning, a discussion on the "Foreign Agent Transparency Law" has commenced in the Georgian Parliament, while a protest is taking place in front of the legislative body's building. Protesters have displayed various placards reading "No to Russian Law", "This rule is a Russian wall", and other slogans. They demand that the legislative initiative not be accepted, as it contradicts Georgia's European path.

In front of the parliament's entrances, reinforced police units are on duty. The legislative body has a restricted access regime, allowing only a limited number of individuals to enter the parliament aside from lawmakers and accredited journalists, to participate in committee meetings. There have been no clashes with the police.

Inside the room where the legal issues committee meeting is taking place, there is also significant noise; opposition representatives are shouting remarks from their seats and preventing the bill’s authors from presenting the initiative.

In February, two versions of the foreign agent law were registered in the Georgian Parliament: a Georgian version and an American version, which is a translation of the American Foreign Agents Registration Act. According to the Georgian version of the document, a legal entity that receives more than 20% of its funding from abroad is to be considered a foreign influence agent.

According to the document, media outlets can also be foreign agents, while the initiative does not pertain to individuals. The American version applies not only to legal entities but also to individuals and includes criminal liability.