Georgian police use tear gas to halt protest against ‘foreign agents’ law

Protesters clash with police in Tbilisi Tuesday. Pic/AFP

Police in the ex-Soviet state of Georgia used tear gas and stun grenades early on Wednesday to break up a protest outside Parliament against a draft law on "foreign agents". Reuters witnesses in the capital, Tbilisi, saw police making arrests along Rustaveli Avenue, main thoroughfare of the city. Earlier police had clashed with demonstrators, some of whom threw petrol bombs and stones. The crowd then gathered outside parliament.

The interior ministry said people on both sides had been injured in an extremely violent protest. Police would react to violations of the law, it added. The ministry said 66 people had been detained over the hours-long clashes. The protests erupted after legislators gave initial backing to the law, which critics say represents an authoritarian shift and could hurt the country's bid to join the European Union.

Speaking in Berlin earlier on Tuesday, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Garibashvili reaffirmed his support for the law, saying the proposed provisions on foreign agents met "European and global standards". European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the draft law was a "very bad development" for the country and could seriously affect its ties with the EU.

The law, requires any organisations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as "foreign agents" or face substantial fines. Critics say it is reminiscent of a 2012 law in Russia that has since been used to crack down on dissent.

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