Georgia foreign agents bill draws protesters on to the streets - BBC News

Thousands of Georgians have been protesting against a new bill that they claim will crush dissent.

13 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsWar in UkraineImage source, ReutersImage caption, Protests have now become a daily sight in Tbilisi and show few signs of abatingBy Rayhan DemytrieBBC South Caucasus correspondentFor the last 10 days, thousands of Georgians - many in their late teens and early 20s - have been bringing the traffic of the capital, Tbilisi, to a standstill.

They demand that the government scrap plans to introduce a controversial bill - dubbed the "foreign agent" law - many say is inspired by authoritarian legislation neighbouring Russia uses to crush dissent.

On 17 April, parliament passed the bill in its first reading - the first of three barriers it must overcome before becoming law.

"I am here for my European future," says 23-year old Gvantsa "Pertso" as she sits with her friends next to the Georgian parliament, a meeting point for rallies.

She is among members of Georgia's Gen Z who have been marching through Tbilisi with EU and Georgian flags draped around their shoulders, holding banners and chanting: "No to the Russian law!"

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68881833

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