Protests against Law "On Foreign Agents" ongoing in Tbilisi

14 protesters were detained in Tbilisi on the evening of 15 April, the Georgian Interior Ministry said.

The protest started outside the Parliament in the morning when the Parliament's legal committee was considering the draft Law "On Foreign Agents". At around 22:00, the committee passed the bill.

Tens of thousands of people gathered demanded not to pass this "Russian" Law and refused to disperse. The action was initiated by representatives of NGOs and civil society, who will gather again today at the start of the Parliamentary plenary session.

Last year, the bill was withdrawn amid mass protests in March. At the time, the authorities said that "foreign donors had increased covert funding of radical groups and parties in Georgia."

Leading opposition parties and respected NGOs argue that the Law "On Foreign Agents" equates Georgia's friends and enemies, labelling NGOs and hindering the country's integration into the EU.

The Georgian authorities have called on the EU, including individual EU countries, the US, the UN, NATO and the Council of Europe, to reject the bill.

The country's President Salome Zurabishvili said she would veto the Law if it was adopted.