Georgian parliament returns to debates over Law "On Foreign Agents" amid mass protests

Last night, 63 opposition activists were detained during protests in the center of Tbilisi against the adoption of the Law ‘On Foreign Agents’, Georgian Deputy Interior Minister Alexander Darakhvelidze said at a briefing on Wednesday.

Note that the consideration of the bill resumes today in the Georgian parliament, near which its opponents have been gathering again since morning.

This Law envisages the creation of a register for media outlets and NGOs that receive funding from abroad and the introduction of mandatory annual financial reporting for them.

Article-by-article consideration of the draft Law in the second reading began on 30 April and lasted about nine hours. At this stage, only three Articles of the 11-point draft Law have been finalized. The bill is expected to be approved on 17 May.

The authorities argued the re-initiation of the bill, which was withdrawn in March 2023 amid mass protests, by arguing that foreign donors had raised "secret funding of radical groups and parties in Georgia".