The bill on foreign agents, reinitiated by the ruling Georgian Dream party, was registered on Monday at a meeting of the bureau of the Georgian parliament, the footage was broadcast on the website of the legislative body.
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Previously, the ruling Georgian Dream party reintroduced the bill on foreign agents, which caused mass unrest in March last year, to parliament. In the bill entitled “On the Transparency of Foreign Influence,” instead of the term “agent of foreign influence,” the term “organization pursuing the interests of a foreign power” is used; the rest of the content of the bill remains the same.
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According to the bureau’s decision, the bill “On Transparency of Foreign Influence” was transferred to the legal committee for consideration, the committee meeting will be held on April 12.
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In parallel with parliamentary procedures, several dozen people are holding a protest rally against this document near the legislative building.
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On March 7, 2023, the Parliament of Georgia adopted the bill on foreign agents in the first reading. After this, mass protests began in Tbilisi, which were dispersed by police using tear gas and water cannons.
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According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, 133 people were detained. Later, the Georgian authorities withdrew the bill from parliament.
