The Georgian government wants to enact a law that curbs the influence of foreign media. Parliament agrees in a first reading. A protest is being formed against this. The demonstrators responded to tear gas and water cannons with Molotov cocktails.
A controversial regulation on "foreign agents" has been introduced in Georgia in the South Caucasus amid violent protests from the population. The majority of MPs in the Georgian Parliament voted in favor of the draft law "On Transparency of Foreign Influence", which officially aims to disclose the flow of money from abroad. Critics fear that the Georgian provision could be modeled on a similarly worded law in Russia. Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili immediately announced that she would veto the law. However, this can be overruled by Parliament.
Thousands of people protested against the project on the streets of the capital Tbilisi into the evening. The police used water cannon and tear gas. Some demonstrators threw Molotov cocktails at the police. Civil rights activists are also afraid that the new law - if it actually comes into force - could jeopardize Georgia's EU prospects. On Monday there were even fisticuffs in parliament between members of the ruling party Georgian Dream and the opposition.
On the basis of the law, the media are to be classified as "foreign agents" if more than 20 percent of them are financed from abroad. They must also submit to the supervision of the Ministry of Justice. Violators are subject to draconian fines. In February, more than 60 media outlets and civil society organizations said they would not abide by the law should it come into force.
In Russia, numerous independent media - but also non-governmental organizations - are branded as "foreign agents". The regulation has been criticized internationally as a politically motivated measure aimed at stigmatizing and silencing critics of the Kremlin. Especially since the start of the war of aggression against Ukraine ordered by President Vladimir Putin more than a year ago, Russia has been taking massive action against dissidents in its own country.
