The ruling party of Georgia adopted the controversial foreign agents’ law in its third and final reading by 84 votes against 30 on Tuesday amid widespread local protests and despite fierce opposition from the West.
The ruling Georgian Dream majority voted in favour of the law during a tense plenary session that comprised brawls among lawmakers, while a large group of protesters had again gathered outside the parliament building.
The President is now expected to veto the bill, giving protesters and Georgia’s Western partners weeks of time to put more pressure on the party to withdraw the legislation.
The law ‘On Transparency of Foreign Influence’, reintroduced by the Georgian Dream party despite its defeat last year amid mass protests, will force foreign-funded NGOs and media organizations to register as organizations pursuing the interests of a foreign power.
There are widespread fears that it will be used to stigmatize critical voices, while its provisions and proposed fines are feared to be applied, ultimately leading to the obstruction of the work of civil society organizations, as has happened with similar laws in Russia.
The ruling party proceeded with the adoption despite the ever-growing and weeks-long protest movement, which spread throughout the country and attracted various social groups, including a massive student movement.
The authorities tried to suppress the protests with police violence and intimidation, all of which proved counterproductive as it brought even more people into the streets.
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