Georgia's 'foreign agents' bill faces second reading next week, TASS reports

Georgia's parliament will give a second reading to a draft law on "foreign agents" next week, Russia's TASS state-owned news agency quoted parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili as saying on Friday. Approved in a first reading on Apr. 17, the law provoked several days of protests in the capital Tbilisi. The bill would require organisations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as agents under foreign influence.

Georgia's parliament will give a second reading to a draft law on "foreign agents" next week, Russia's TASS state-owned news agency quoted parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili as saying on Friday. Approved in a first reading on Apr. 17, the law provoked several days of protests in the capital Tbilisi.

The bill would require organisations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as agents under foreign influence. Opponents say the legislation will damage Georgia's bid to join the European Union.