April 17 () –
The Parliament of Georgia has approved the controversial foreign agents law in a first reading held despite the strong protests registered since the beginning of this week against the bill promoted by the Government.
The legislation has thus received its first endorsement from the pro-government deputies in a vote that will have to be followed by two other readings and in which 83 deputies out of a total of 150 have voted in favor.
The opposition was absent from the plenary session during the vote after attacking the measure, considering that it has a “Russian style” and that it is contrary to the fundamental rights of the civilian population, according to information from the Georgian news portal Civil.
Meanwhile, thousands of people have gathered again for the third consecutive day in front of Parliament to demonstrate against this measure, although another march is scheduled to take place at 7:00 p.m. (local time).
This project requires all organizations, media outlets and similar entities that receive at least 20 percent of their financing from abroad to register as “agents of foreign influence”, a measure similar to those in force in Russia.
The text of the bill is now the same as in 2023, although with some modifications. However, last year the opposition and part of society demonstrated against this legislative proposal for being a show of sympathy with Russia. The Government, for its part, rejected these accusations and defended that the proposal would simply serve to have a list of organizations financed from abroad.
The bill must still pass its second and third reading, although this time, unlike last year, without an accelerated procedure. The majority in the House is expected to approve the bill in its third final reading on May 17.
