Protests Continue in Georgia Over 'Foreign Influence' Draft Bill

Facts

• Thousands of Georgians gathered on Saturday evening for a candlelight vigil outside Parliament in Tbilisi on the eve of Orthodox Easter, as protests continue against a proposed bill to stem foreign influence over the country.¹
• For the past month, demonstrators have rallied daily outside the parliament building despite strong police response — including the use of tear gas and water cannons.²
• The protesters marched to the central office of the ruling Georgian Dream party on Friday to reiterate their opposition to the draft legislation and demand the release of those detained in recent protests.³
• Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has claimed that the bill is necessary for transparency and accountability in the country, rejecting pressure from the US and EU to drop the legislation and calling them to engage in 'substantive discussions.'⁴
• His government insists that the law that would require non-profit entities to register as 'pursuing the interests of a foreign influence' if they receive at least 20% of their funding from abroad is similar to legislation in Western countries.⁵
• The bill has already cleared its second reading, 83 to 23, and Georgian Dream wants to enact the law by the end of the month. Pres. Salome Zurabishvili has pledged to veto it if it passes a third reading, but the ruling party can overrule her.⁶

Sources: ¹Associated Press, ²CNN, ³Anadolu Agency, ⁴Reuters, ⁵Al Jazeera and ⁶BBC News.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by The Hill. The overwhelming majority of Georgians want to deepen ties with the West, and yet the government is moving forward with its illiberal project — now borrowing tools from Putin's Russia to force civil society actors out of the country. Western countries have a moral imperative to stand with Georgians and impose sanctions on those leading this move.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by RT. Violent protests against the bill 'On Transparency of Foreign Influence' have become all too frequent in Tbilisi due to the outrage and despair of those who are effectively linked to foreign-funded non-profit organizations. And while Russia has yet again been used as a scapegoat, it's actually America's Foreign Agents Registration Act that has inspired this legislation.

Predictions