Georgians take to the streets against ‘foreign agent’ law

Protests against a controversial “foreign agent” bill in Georgia this week have led to violent police crackdowns in the capital, Tbilisi. The bill will require organizations that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as foreign agents.

The ruling Georgian Dream party says the measure — which was advanced in parliament on Wednesday — will improve transparency. But opponents say it is identical to a law the Kremlin has used to crush dissent.

The EU warns that the bill harms Georgia’s aspirations of joining the bloc – rhetoric that is expected to ramp up in the coming weeks, according to Tinatin Japaridze, a Georgian-born regional expert at Eurasia Group.

Still, Georgian Dream is expected to get the bill passed, Japaridze says, after shelving it in the face of similar protests last year. The legislation, which must go through another reading, could become law by the end of May.

In the meantime, protests are expected to continue. What began as a demonstration against the bill is morphing into a much broader, youth-led movement against the ruling party and its Kremlin-inspired politics — and in favor of strengthening ties with the West.

“This is a generation that did not grow up under repressive Soviet rule,” says Japaridze. “They’re a lot bolder.”

If the protests spread nationwide, it could “exacerbate the growing rift between Georgian Dream and the public,” Japaridze says, and make “their work and their role very difficult.” Growing public discontent could also signal that Georgian Dream will face serious challenges in crucial parliamentary elections set for October.