Georgia to vote on controversial law that sparked mass protests

Georgia’s parliament is expected to give final approval to a controversial “foreign agent” law that has sparked weeks of mass street protests.

Critics of the governing Georgian Dream party say the bill – which they call the “Russia law” – could be used to crush dissent.

They demand that the government scrap the plans and a sit-in is expected to resume shortly outside parliament.

The vote is expected to take place at 12:00 (08:00 GMT).

The country’s prime minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, has vowed that the bill would pass.

On Monday, Mr Kobakhidze also warned that if authorities backed down at the bill’s third reading, Georgia would lose sovereignty and “easily share the fate of Ukraine”, without detailing what he meant.

His comments came as tens of thousands of demonstrators – many of them students – massed outside parliament in Tbilisi for a third night of protests.

Photos and footage posted online in recent days appeared to show violent altercations between protesters and police.