On 3 April, Georgia’s government (led by the Georgian Dream party of the pro-Russian oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili) put a planned “foreign agents” law back on the table. Since then, Georgians have been on the streets to protest a regressive — and repressive – step that threatens their country’s dream of EU membership. Georgia was granted EU candidate status in December 2023.
The bill, which mimics Russia’s 2012 law on “foreign agents”, is due to pass its final reading on 13 May. It would require NGOs and independent media outlets that receive more than 20% of their income from foreign donors to register as organisations “representing the interests of a foreign power”. As such, they would be subject to checks by the Ministry of Justice and could be forced to divulge sensitive information on pain of heavy fines.
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The demonstrations, dominated by young people, have involved scuffles with the police – and, more recently, with unidentified groups thought to be close to the ruling party.
The photos by Shota Kincha and Mariam Nikuradze, from the independent media outlet OC Media, tell the story of the events.
Click on a photo to launch the slideshow:
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