Georgia: Dozens arrested during 'foreign agent' law protest

Officials in Georgia said that 66 people were arrested on Wednesday after protests against a controversial "foreign agents" draft law turned into clashes with police in the capital, Tbilisi, overnight.

"Law enforcement detained 66 people in accordance with articles... on petty hooliganism and disobeying police," the Interior Ministry said, adding that some 50 police officers had also been injured.

Protesters reportedly threw stones and petrol bombs while breaking through barriers around the parliament building. Police deployed tear gas and water cannons in response.

Protests kicked off again later on Wednesday as people joined a march marking International Women's Day. Opposition parties also called for a second night of mass protests outside the parliament.

Observes estimated that between 10,000 and 15,000 protesters attended the demonstration on Wednesday evening, showing a stronger turnout than on Tuesday.

What is the 'foreign agents' law?

Thousands of people had taken to the streets after a majority of lawmakers backed draft legislation under the name "On Transparency of Foreign Influence" on Tuesday. Protesters say the law could be used to silence critics.

It follows a similar law in Russia that has been used to shut down voices critical of the Kremlin and especially Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

If enacted, the Georgian law would see organizations, including media outlets, that receive more than 20% of their funding from outside of the former-Soviet republic being classed as "foreign agents.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili restated his support for the law on Tuesday during a visit to Berlin. He said it was in line with "European and global standards."

Who opposes the law?

Critics of the law have said that it will hinder their chances of joining the European Union, an opinion that has only been strengthened by comments from EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. He called the draft legislation a "very bad development," adding that it could hurt Georgia's ties with the bloc.

President Salome Zourabichvili has also said she would veto the law if it reached her desk.

"You represent a free Georgia, a Georgia which sees its future in the West, and won't let anyone to take this future away," she told protesters in a video recorded from the US during an official visit.

Zourabichvili urged authorities to refrain from using force in an interview for the CNN broadcaster.

"Clearly, Russia is not going to let go very easily," she said. "But Russia is losing the war in Ukraine.

The imitation of the Russian law has also fanned the flames due to the animosity many in Georgia feel towards their northern neighbor.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he wanted Georgia to join the European Union and thanked protesters for waving the Ukrainian flag.

"We want to be in the European Union, and we will be. We want Georgia to be in the European Union, and I am sure it will be," Zelenskyy said.

Some protesters shouted "No to the Russian law" and "You are Russian" at lawmakers.

Moscow backed separatists in the Georgian breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in the 1990s and occupied part of Georgia in 2008.

ab/sms, jsi (AFP, dpa, Reuters)