Several thousand Georgians gathered in front of the Parliament in Tbilisi on Sunday evening, May 12, to protest against a Russian-inspired bill on “foreign influence,” despite warnings and threats issued by the government. Students at several universities in Tbilisi announced a strike starting the next day, Monday.
Earlier in the day, the Georgian government announced any protesters who tried to prevent Parliament from voting. “I would like to warn all members of radical opposition groups that they will have to answer for their acts of violence before the courts,” warned Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.
Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri was even more explicit: “Group blocking of an object of particular importance is punishable by up to four years in prison,” he said. he warned, before adding: “We will use this article against lawbreakers, without any exceptions. » Authorities presented the demonstrators, made up largely of young people, as violent crowds.
For her part, the pro-European Union (EU) Georgian president, Salomé Zourabichvili, in conflict with the government, called on the demonstrators to be vigilant. “I want to address you [the demonstrators] so that you know (…): there are plans that will not really work, but there are plans to organize provocations and involve you,” he said. -she declared, without going into details. “So stay very careful, which does not mean you should be afraid,” she added.
The bill must pass a third reading in Parliament and President Zurabichvili is expected to veto it. The Georgian Dream party, in power, however, has enough votes to override it. On Saturday, there were already several thousand in the city center of Tbilisi, the Georgian capital, including many young people, saying “No to Russian law! », in reference to this text inspired by Russian legislation used by the Kremlin to repress dissident voices.
A text seen as an obstacle to accession to the EU
The text, an initiative of Georgian Dream, led by the wealthy businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili, is seen as an obstacle on Georgia’s path towards membership in the European Union, which has sharply criticized it. If passed, the law will require any NGO or media organization receiving more than 20 percent of its funding from abroad to register as an “organization pursuing the interests of a foreign power.”
The government assures that this measure aims to force organizations to demonstrate more “transparency” about their funding. Many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the country have denounced the bill, which Mr. Ivanishvili, 68, defends with conviction against what he judges to be “a pseudo-elite nurtured by a foreign country.”
The tension between supporters and opponents of the text rose a notch on Saturday, during a large-scale gathering of its detractors, although peaceful. Because if the opposition has shown its unity against the text, the ruling party does not seem ready to back down at this stage, causing yet another political crisis in this small Caucasian country accustomed to turmoil.
Representatives of NGOs have claimed to have been threatened or intimidated in recent days, described as “foreign agents” by the law’s most fervent defenders. In April, during previous protests, police dispersed crowds with tear gas and rubber bullets.
The “foreign influence” law was first introduced by Georgian Dream in 2023. But massive protests had already forced the government to shelve it. His return, at the beginning of April, created a surprise and aroused the anger of many Georgians, particularly the youngest.
These unrest comes a few months before legislative elections in October, considered an important test for democracy in this former Soviet republic. In December 2023, the EU granted Georgia official candidate status but said Tbilisi should carry out reforms to its judicial and electoral systems, increase press freedom and limit the power of oligarchs before negotiations membership are officially launched.
