Tbilisi – Thousands of people gathered in front of the Georgian Parliament this evening for a new opposition demonstration, the third in the last three days. The government has announced the release of more than a hundred people arrested in recent, sometimes violent, protests sparked by opposition to the controversial so-called foreign agents law. In response to the protests, the government withdrew this norm this morning, which President Salome Zurabishvili described as a “victory” for the people, AFP reported. The Legislature is expected to begin debating the matter on Friday.
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People started today's rally on the central Rustaveli Avenue by singing Georgian, Ukrainian and European anthems, the Georgian Interpressnews agency reported. As in previous days, there is a large police presence.
The impetus for the new demonstration was the opposition's demand that the government release those arrested from previous demonstrations. As the evening protest began, the Interior Ministry announced it would release “all persons detained during the protests that took place outside the parliament on March 7 and 8,” AFP reported.
“Our government is our only obstacle in the way to membership in the European Union,” said one of the participants in the demonstration, 39-year-old mathematician Eka Kamkamidzeová, according to AFP. “Either he resigns and Georgia joins Europe, or he stays in power and we become prey to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin,” she added.
In Georgia, the draft law on foreign agents was approved by the government's majority in the parliament in the first reading on Tuesday. The law was supposed to ensure that organizations that get more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad register as “foreign influence agents” and submit to Justice Department review. Otherwise, they would face heavy fines.
The authors of the draft law claimed that it is necessary for the transparency of the work of entities financed by representatives of foreign states. But his opponents saw him as a potential obstacle to Georgia's intention to join the European Union and NATO. They were also worried about the authoritarian direction of the country following the example of Russia, where a similar law is in force.
Government party Georgian Dream said this morning that it would “unconditionally withdraw the draft law that it supported wholeheartedly”, justifying its decision by the need to limit confrontation in society . President Zurabishvili welcomed this decision. “I want to congratulate the company on its first victory, I am proud of the people who made their voices heard,” AFP quoted her as saying.
The United States said today that it welcomes the Georgian government's decision to drop the controversial law. At the same time, however, they urged her to “completely withdraw” the proposal, as it “contradicts Euro-Atlantic values”. According to the Interpressnews agency, the parliament should start discussing the matter on Friday at noon (9:00 a.m. CET).
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today, according to the TASS agency, that Russia “has absolutely nothing to do with the proposed law on foreign agents “. However, the unrest in Georgia is “worrying” because it is important for Russia to have “peace on its borders”, the spokesman added.
