Georgia faces new protests on Monday against a controversial law on “foreign agents’ The law, inspired by Russian legislation used by the Kremlin to repress dissident voices, would force organizations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register under this infamous label. Last week, around 8,000 people had already demonstrated against the bill in Tbilisi.
Georgia has had the ambition for years to deepen its relations with the West, but the ruling party is accused of wanting, on the contrary, to bring this former Soviet republic closer to Russia. The return of this law, criticized by the European Union, risks reviving deep divisions in the country, writes CNN's John Defterios. “We will not let the Georgian Dream spoil Georgia's historic chance to become a member of the EU,” says one of the demonstrators. ‘We will never let the country slide towards Russian-style authoritarianism,’ says another protester, Saba Gotoua.