Georgian protesters at a rally against the law on “foreign agents” decided to “besiege the parliament.”
Law enforcement officials used water cannons and tear gas against miners near the Georgian parliament, whose participants were demanding the repeal of the “foreign agents” bill and the release of detainees, reports SOVA.news.
Protesters attempted to dismantle metal barriers installed near parliament. Law enforcers used tear gas and water cannon against them.
Former leader of the Georgian opposition party Strategy Agmashenebeli Giorgi Vashadze demanded that the authorities withdraw the draft law on “foreign agents” and release all those detained during the previous day’s protests, Channel One reports.
The opposition leader directed his message to the ruling party Georgian dreamgiving a time to fulfill the requirements. After the ultimatum was not fulfilled, Vashadze called on rally participants to “peacefully” surround the parliament building, and for law enforcement officers not to confront the protesters.
“We propose the next step: to peacefully and calmly surround the parliament from both sides. Let’s do it peacefully. We call on the police not to confront the peaceful protesters,” he said.
Protesters voted for this decision with their hands up.
Recall that on March 7, after the adoption by the Parliament of Georgia of the first reading of the law on “foreign agents”, protests began in the center of Tbilisi, where the police used tear gas and water cannons. About 70 people were detained by the police. Some of those detained have been transferred to different cities in the country.
The adoption of the bill is supported by the ruling party of Georgia, which states that it is aimed only at achieving transparency in the funding of NGOs and media. Several hundred non-governmental organizations and media in Georgia signed a statement against the adoption of the law.
The EU has warned Georgia of “serious consequences” if the law is finally passed, while the US has threatened sanctions.
Georgia sent the adopted bill for review to the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe.
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.