Georgian Parliament Approves Controversial Bill Despite Widespread Protests

The Georgian parliament on Tuesday approved in the third and final reading a divisive bill that sparked weeks of mass protests. The bill is nearly identical to one that the governing Georgian Dream party was pressured to withdraw last year after street protests. Renewed demonstrations have rocked Georgia for weeks, but the lawmakers passed it regardless.

The Georgian parliament on Tuesday approved in the third and final reading a divisive bill that sparked weeks of mass protests. The bill requires media and nongovernmental organisations and other nonprofits to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they receive more than 20 per cent of their funding from abroad. Critics see it as a threat to democratic freedoms and the country's aspirations to join the European Union. The bill is nearly identical to one that the governing Georgian Dream party was pressured to withdraw last year after street protests. Renewed demonstrations have rocked Georgia for weeks, but the lawmakers passed it regardless.