TBILISI, (Reuters) – Georgia’s ruling party said yesterday it was withdrawing a bill on “foreign agents” after two nights of violent protests against what opponents called a Russian-inspired authoritarian shift that imperilled hopes Georgia joining the European Union.
The Georgian Dream party said in a statement it would “unconditionally withdraw the bill we supported, without any reservations”. It cited the need to reduce “confrontation” in society, while denouncing “lies” about the bill spread by the “radical opposition”.
News reports late yesterday said parliament scheduled an extraordinary session for today to deal with the bill. Large crowds remained outside the parliament building well after midnight and rallies were expected during Friday’s session.
Giga Lemonjava, a representative of the Droa party, said protesters wanted the government to formally denounce the bill and ensure the release all those detained in the demonstrations.
The Black Sea country of 3.7 million people has seen frequent political upheaval since winning independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, including a peaceful “Rose Revolution” in 2003 and a calamitous war against Russia five years later.
The bill would have required Georgian organisations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “foreign agents” or face fines.
Government officials said the proposals sought to root out “foreign influence” and “spies”.
