The Georgian parliament has supported in the third and final reading the draft law "On Transparency of Foreign Influence" or the so-called "foreign agents" law. The bill was supported by 84 MPs, 30 MPs voted against it and another 58 abstained from voting.
During the session in the parliamentary hall, there was another fight between MPs. MP Tinatin Bokuchava from the United National Movement grabbed Georgian Dream MP Mariam Lashkhi by her hair. The women's fight was joined by men - the brawl lasted for 30 minutes. After the fight, parliamentarians continued to discuss the bill.
Opposition representatives and leaders are urging residents to take to the streets and protest the scandalous bill.
"We need a people's general strike now. Come out, people, or we will wake up in Russia," Paper Kartuli quoted an opposition speaker as saying.
The consideration of the bill was held in spite of the ongoing opposition protests in the country. The protests often ended in clashes between the protesters and the police and the law enforcers' retaliatory use of riot gear, batons and water cannons.
The protesters see the adoption of such a law as a threat not only to freedom of speech and civil society, but also to the European integration of Georgia, which received the status of a candidate for membership in the European Union only six months ago. The slogan "Yes to Europe. No to Russian law."
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has sided with the protesters. She intends to veto the law. However, the country's ruling party Georgian Dream, which has an absolute majority in parliament, may vote to override the presidential veto.
Immediately after the news of the bill's passage, opponents of the bill who gathered in front of the Parliament tried to break through the barriers, but the security forces met them with harsh resistance, pushing back the crowd, they detained the most "violent" activists.
After that, a "red" security level was declared in the parliament. Special forces with the support of water cannons began to pull up to the building. Soon the law enforcers began to "squeeze" the protesters from Freedom Square, harshly detaining and beating the most active ones.
We shall remind you that according to the draft law, nongovernmental organizations and mass media, which have more than 20 percent of their annual income financed from abroad, will have to register as "organizations pursuing the interests of foreign forces".
