Georgian Parliament Scuffle Erupts Over Foreign Agents Bill, Opposition Demands Withdrawal

In the Georgian parliament, where the consideration of the bill on foreign agents is ongoing, a scuffle broke out between opposition members and other deputies, Mtavari TV reports. Opposition MP Teona Akubardia stated that after a verbal altercation, a brawl ensued, with «men throwing bottles at women». Deputies Salome Samadashvili, Armaz Akhvlediani, and Levan Khabaishvili (leader of Georgia’s largest opposition party, the «United National Movement»), who was beaten during protests in Tbilisi, demanded the withdrawal of the bill. Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili turned off the microphones. Opposition members claim that members of the «Georgian Dream» party threw bottles and books at them.

In April, the Georgian parliament passed in the first reading a bill on «Transparency of Foreign Influence» proposed by the ruling party, «Georgian Dream». It requires non-governmental organizations and media outlets receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as «organizations conducting the interests of a foreign power». The bill on foreign agents sparked mass protests and clashes with the police. Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili promised to veto it. Last spring, the «Georgian Dream» had to withdraw the bill after protests. In the new version, the term «foreign influence agent» was replaced with «organization conducting the interests of a foreign power».



The day before, another protest against the «foreign agents law» took place outside the parliament building in Tbilisi. Police and special forces pushed the protesters away from the building using tear gas and water cannons. The Ministry of Internal Affairs claims that the participants of the protest threw stones and bottles at law enforcement officers and insulted them. Some of the demonstrators attempted to build barricades. The Ministry of Internal Affairs reported 63 arrests and six injured police officers. The Ministry of Health stated that 11 people, including six police officers, required hospitalization. The Special Investigative Service has launched an investigation into the use of violence against protesters.