2024-05-11 17:42:47
Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets on Saturday evening in Tbilisi to once again protest against the controversial “foreign influence” bill. Requested by the government of Georgia, the text has been criticized by the United States and the EU.
In the crowd, which gathered on the European Square, demonstrators showed the flags of Georgia and the European Union, which Tbilisi says they want to join, despite this text which its detractors consider similar to Russian legislation used against ‘opposition.
“Georgia! Georgia!” sang the numerous demonstrators who marched along the Koura River, despite the heavy rain, an AFP journalist noted. Among those present, Mariam Meunargia said that she came to show that “her country wants to be part of European society”. “We are protecting our European future,” she would like to believe.
“Everything will get worse”
Georgia, a small Caucasus country, has been grappling with anti-government protests since early April after the ruling Georgian Dream party re-introduced a bill seen as an obstacle to Tbilisi’s EU accession aspirations. Because this text is inspired by Russian legislation that has been used by the Kremlin for several years to suppress dissenting voices.
The bill must pass its third reading in Parliament very soon and it is expected that President Salomé Zourabichvili, in conflict with the ruling party, will veto it. The Georgian Dream, however, has enough votes to overcome it.
In Tbilisi city centre, an impressive crowd gathered after dark to demonstrate their opposition, and a large police force was deployed earlier in the day. “No to Russian law!”, “No to Russian dictatorship!”, shouted the demonstrators.
“We don’t need to go back to the Soviet Union,” said Lela Tsiklauri, a 38-year-old Georgian teacher who came to demonstrate, warning that “everything will get worse in our country if this law is passed.”
Threats
In the last few days, many activists working for Non-Governmental Organizations and other rights groups have said that they have received threats on the phone.
Earlier on Saturday, feminist activist Baia Pataraia showed AFP orange graffiti on the door of her house and inside her building, where one could read “subsidized lesbian”. “He is going to terrorize us,” she said inside her apartment, saying that she was not surprised by such incitement but was still determined to participate in the evening’s mass meeting.
If the controversial law is passed, any non-governmental organization or media that receives more than 20% of its funding from abroad will be required to register as an “organization working for the benefit of a foreign power.” The government for its part declares that this measure is intended to force organizations to show more “transparency” in relation to their funding.
Project out of the closet
Georgian Dream first introduced the law on “foreign influence” in 2023. But massive protests have already forced the government to set it aside. He created back, at the beginning of April, the surprise and anger of many Georgians.
The unrest comes a few months before legislative elections in October, which are seen as an important test of democracy in this ex-Soviet republic accustomed to political crises.
In December 2023, the EU granted Georgia official candidate status, but said Tbilisi should reform its judicial and electoral systems, increase press freedom and limit the power of oligarchs before membership is launched. official on the negotiations.
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