Georgian government withdraws controversial legislation amid protests 

Riot police assembled before dispersing the crowds protesting controversial legislation passed on the first reading last week in Tbilisi, Georgia © Onnik James Krikorian 2023

If there’s one thing Georgians have a habit of doing above all else it’s protesting – and last week was no exception. Public outrage at the passing of controversial legislation on ‘foreign agents’ saw thousands take to the streets outside the parliament building on Tbilisi’s main thoroughfare, Rustaveli Avenue. Even so, despite having covered pretty much every major demonstration here since 2012, I initially decided not to go down. Too much work focused now on the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict and no desire to be tear-gassed again.

However, as soon as the riot police were deployed on the first evening it became clear that I had to, including the next day. Anyway, Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa has since published some of my photographs. 

Following two nights of protests that saw riot police use tear gas and water cannon, the Georgian government announced that it has withdrawn controversial legislation that critics say would set back democratic development in the country and reverse the country’s stated policy of joining the European Union.

 

 The law that passed its first reading on 7 March would make non-governmental organisation, including media, obliged to register as ‘foreign agents’ if the amount of funding from abroad exceeded 20 percent of their budgets. The legislation has been compared to a similar 2012 passed in Russia that stifled civil activism in the country.  

 

It is for this reason that critics of the bill have labelled it the ‘Russian law.”

 

[…]

 

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the granting of EU candidate status to Moldova and Ukraine, Georgia’s own application is currently under considerations. The opposition claims that the passage of the law on foreign agents would set back the country’s aspirations for EU membership year or even derail it.  

 

 Now all eyes will be on what happens next.  

The photo story is available in English here and in Italian here. The Caspian Post also used an image of mine for its social media streams.

Anyway, tear gas I was and many times on both nights. Given that two people lost eyes on 20 June 2019, a demonstration I also covered, it could be that the excessive use of tear gas was to avoid resorting to rubber bullets. Nevertheless, its use was disproportionate in most cases and wafted in the wind no doubt affecting residential areas close by.

As for the legislation itself, it seems that this impressive display of people play worked. For now at least. More photos on my Facebook.