Georgia rocked by protest against foreign agents' bill

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS - In Brief 05 May 2024 by Alex Teddy
In May 2024 there were ongoing protests in Tbilisi attended by tens of thousands of people. This is enormous in a country of 5 million people. Some demonstrators combined their protest with attending the Orthodox Easter vigil. Some say the bill is reminiscent of Russia's Foreign Agent Law. The police have been accused of brutality against demonstrators but no one has died.  President Zurabashvili is openly opposed to the foreign agents' bill. The French-Georgian is keen for the country to join the EU and says the bill will set this back. She has vowed to veto the bill if it is passed but the ruling Georgian Dream party has enough voted to override this. 90% of Georgians aspire to EU membership. Some consider Georgian Dream to be too friendly to Russia. Georgian Dream has been pushing the foreign agents' bill since 2023. They say it is needed to ensure the country's independence. In the 1990s foreign NGOs acquired excessive influence and interfered in the nation's domestic affairs. Opponents say the bill is designed to stop dissent. It would require civil society to declare foreign funding and be subjected to extensive audits.

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