By using this website you agree that we use cookies. You can find out more in the privacy policy.
Bombay Durpun - Tens of thousands rally in Tbilisi against 'foreign influence' bill
-
-
Choose a language
Automatically close in : 3
Wie gewohnt mit Werbung lesen
Nutzen Sie Bombay Durpun mit personalisierter Werbung, Werbetracking, Nutzungsanalyse und externen Multimedia-Inhalten. Details zu Cookies und Verarbeitungszwecken sowie zu Ihrer jederzeitigen Widerrufsmöglichkeit finden Sie unten, im Cookie-Manager sowie in unserer Datenschutzerklärung.
Use Bombay Durpun with personalised advertising, ad tracking, usage analysis and external multimedia content. Details on cookies and processing purposes as well as your revocation option at any time can be found below, in the cookie manager as well as in our privacy policy.
Utilizar Bombay Durpun con publicidad personalizada, seguimiento de anuncios, análisis de uso y contenido multimedia externo. Los detalles sobre las cookies y los propósitos de procesamiento, así como su opción de revocación en cualquier momento, se pueden encontrar a continuación, en el gestor de cookies, así como en nuestra política de privacidad.
Utilisez le Bombay Durpun avec des publicités personnalisées, un suivi publicitaire, une analyse de l'utilisation et des contenus multimédias externes. Vous trouverez des détails sur les cookies et les objectifs de traitement ainsi que sur votre possibilité de révocation à tout moment ci-dessous, dans le gestionnaire de cookies ainsi que dans notre déclaration de protection des données.
Utilizzare Bombay Durpun con pubblicità personalizzata, tracciamento degli annunci, analisi dell'utilizzo e contenuti multimediali esterni. I dettagli sui cookie e sulle finalità di elaborazione, nonché la possibilità di revocarli in qualsiasi momento, sono riportati di seguito nel Cookie Manager e nella nostra Informativa sulla privacy.
Utilizar o Bombay Durpun com publicidade personalizada, rastreio de anúncios, análise de utilização e conteúdo multimédia externo. Detalhes sobre cookies e fins de processamento, bem como a sua opção de revogação em qualquer altura, podem ser encontrados abaixo, no Gestor de Cookies, bem como na nossa Política de Privacidade.
Tens of thousands of Georgians descended onto Tbilisi's Europe Square Saturday in the latest mass protest against a "foreign influence" bill likened to repressive Russian legislation that has sparked outrage.
Text size:
The Caucasus country has been gripped by protests since early April, when in a shock move billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili's ruling Georgian Dream party brought the bill back a year after dropping it.
If passed, the bill would require NGOs receiving at least 20 percent of foreign funding -- encompassing virtually all groups in the sector -- to register as acting under "foreign influence".
The bill, which would also affect independent media, mirrors legislation used by the Kremlin to silence dissent and has been dubbed the "Russian law" in Georgia, which observers say has seen democratic backsliding in recent years.
Georgian Dream has defended the bill, saying it will increase transparency over NGOs' foreign funding. It says it aims to sign the measure into law by mid-May.
Protesters say the bill is proof the ruling party is steering Georgia away from the national goal of joining the European Union and is being used to consolidate power.
"We realise what this law will do to our country... We will not have freedom of speech," said 21-year-old student Anri Papidze, who came to the protest.
He said he would do "everything" for the protests to be successful and for Georgia to join the EU.
Under the pouring rain, many chanted "No to Russian law!" and held Georgian, EU and Ukrainian flags.
The protests have been led by the youngest generations and are heavy in anti-Kremlin slogans, with young Georgians worried authorities are bringing the ex-Soviet country back under Russia's orbit.
"We are protecting our European future and our freedom," said 39-year-old Mariam Meunargia.
"But we see that our government is taking us in the Russian direction."
- Civil society 'wiped out' -
Saturday's rally came after days of what activists called an intimidation campaign.
Ivanishvili has declared NGOs the enemy from within, accusing them of working on behalf of a foreign state and plotting a revolution.
Ahead of the protest, several leading activists and NGO figures reported their homes and offices were covered in posters that read "foreign agent" on them.
On Europe Square, crowds chanted in support of those who were targeted.
The stand-off over the bill has created one of the tensest political moments in the tiny country -- ruled by Georgian Dream since 2012 -- in years.
Many protesters also believed that authorities want to rush the bill to prepare the ground for an autumn election.
Georgian Dream has also shown no sign of backing down, saying the protests are led by a manipulated youth.
"Georgian people are not stupid," 26-year-old protester and civic activist Ana Tavadze said.
"We've seen what this caused in Russia: it wiped out the entire civil society."
The "foreign agent" label -- which has Stalin-era connotations -- has been used in Russia against Kremlin critics.
Tavadze said Georgian youth were inspired by "inter-generational strengths" carried through the small nation's history.
- 'Play my part' -
Walking through the mostly young crowd, 83-year-old Tabukashvili Guliko carried a small EU and Georgian flag with her 88-year-old husband.
"I want to play my part," the white-haired woman, wearing a grey scarf, said.
Guliko, which means "heart" in Georgian, said she did not come to previous rallies because she was recovering from heart surgery.
The European Union, the United States and the United Nations have spoken out against the legislation, with the UN human rights chief Volker Turk also voicing concern about police violence against protesters.
Saturday's protest was peaceful, with rock music blasting out from a stage, and a choir singing the EU's Ode to Joy in a traditional Georgian style.
On April 30, Georgian police violently broke up a demonstration.