Thousands protest in Georgia over ‘Russia-style’ law

Demonstrators protest the controversial ‘foreign influence’ bill near the parliament in Tbilisi. Pic/AFP

Georgia's parliament green-lit a final vote on a proposed law that critics see as a threat to media freedom and the country's aspirations to join the European Union on Monday, a day after police dispersed the latest protests against it.

The bill would require media and non-governmental organisations and other non-profits to register as "pursuing the interests of a foreign power" if they receive more than 20 per cent of their funding from abroad.

The opposition denounces the bill as 'the Russian law' because Moscow uses similar legislation to crack down on independent news media, non-profits and activists critical of the Kremlin.

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