Tens of Thousands Protest Controversial Bill in Georgia

Protests against the controversial 'Foreign Agents' bill in Georgia continue, with tens of thousands of people taking to the streets of Tbilisi, the capital, on Saturday, May 22. Concurrently, Jake Sullivan, the National Security Advisor of the White House, wrote on social media platform X: 'The people of Georgia are expressing their views. Tens of thousands of protesters peacefully took to the streets in Tbilisi despite intimidation tactics, demanding the ruling party, Georgian Dream, to withdraw this bill.' Sullivan also described the controversial bill as a factor for 'democratic regression' in Georgia and expressed concern about it. According to Reuters, protesters in Tbilisi carried flags of Georgia, the European Union, and Ukraine. The Democratic Party of Georgian Dream, which holds a majority in parliament, is set to begin the final review of the 'Foreign Agents' bill on Monday. Opponents had called for a new wave of protests starting Saturday. The proposed bill in Georgia states that NGOs receiving at least 20% of their funding from foreign countries must register as 'foreign agents.' Reports indicate that hundreds of NGOs working in various fields, including media, freedom of expression, minority rights, agriculture, education, etc., will be affected by this law. The ruling party, Georgian Dream, claims that this law can prevent 'foreign influence' by creating 'transparency.' A similar law currently under consideration in the Georgian parliament was previously passed in Russia, where many media outlets and NGOs that received part or all of their funding from outside Russia were forced to cease operations, and in some cases, individuals were imprisoned under this law. Opponents and many civil society figures have protested against the ruling party's controversial 'Foreign Agents' bill, and the country has witnessed widespread demonstrations over the past month.