Thousands protest outside Georgia parliament against foreign influence bill

Thousands of people have protested outside Georgia’s parliament in Tbilisi over a new bill, seen by many as a crackdown on civil society in the ex-Soviet country.

The demonstrators are trying to prevent MPs from adopting the so-called “Russian law”. They see it as similar to a law used by the Kremlin to silence critics.

The Transparency of Foreign Influence Bill would force non-governmental groups and media to register as “organisations serving the interest of a foreign power” if more than 20% of their funding comes from overseas.

The governing Georgian Dream party says the measure would increase transparency and defend Georgia’s sovereignty.

For weeks there have been massive rallies against the “Russian law” in Tbilisi.