Molotov cocktails, tear gas and water cannons -  Georgian police used special equipment to take control of a mass protest near the walls of the country's parliament.

More than 10,000 people have gathered on Tbilisi's main square to protest against the passage of the "foreign agents" bill, which would require media and non-governmental organizations that receive more than a quarter of their funding from abroad to be registered as foreign agents. The protesters are calling for an end to corruption and making the government more accountable, calling for respect for human rights and demanding an end to political interference in the judiciary.

“The people of Georgia will never give up the fight for justice and freedom. Our strength is in our unity and we will continue to stand together to achieve our goals. We remain strong, united and determined!” say UnMode members from Georgia.

What are the implications of this bill?

The bill "On Transparency of Foreign Influence" provides for the registration as agents of foreign influence of non-commercial legal entities and mass media, more than 25% of whose income is received from abroad.

According to the document, an organization considered an agent of foreign influence must be registered with such a status in the State Register. During the procedure, she must reflect the income received, and then annually fill out a financial declaration.

For evasion of registration as an agent of foreign influence or failure to complete the declaration, a fine is provided - 25 thousand lari, or about 9 thousand dollars.

Under the Foreign Agents Registration Bill, any individual or legal entity receiving funding from abroad will be required to register as a foreign agent.

Failure to perform or improper performance of the obligation stipulated by the law "On Registration of Foreign Agents" entails criminal liability and will be punished by a fine or imprisonment for up to 5 years.

Also, this bill hinders Georgia's European integration and contradicts at least two of the twelve EU recommendations for Georgia to obtain the status of an EU candidate country.

Despite the disagreement of the opposition deputies, the Georgian parliament approved the controversial bill in the first reading. The Georgian opposition draws an analogy with the law on foreign agents in Russia, the first version of which was adopted in 2012. At first it covered only political organizations, soon this law completely suppressed free and critical opinion in Russia.

Against the backdrop of mass protests, Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili stated that she was categorically against the adoption of the law on “foreign agents”. .

We continue to closely monitor developments in Georgia