- Large protests took place outside the Georgian parliament in the capital Tbilisi on Monday against a draft law on "foreign influence," allegedly modeled on repressive Russian legislation to crack down on dissent. BBC News (LR: 3 CP: 5)
- Over 5K protesters reportedly took to the streets demanding withdrawal of the bill, dubbed the "Russian law" by critics, with 14 protesters detained for public order violations and one police officer injured, according to Georgia's Interior Ministry. reuters.com (LR: 3 CP: 5)
- The bill — drafted by the ruling Georgian Dream party — is a slightly modified version of the former "foreign agents" proposal, which was criticized by the EU and the US and dropped last year after widespread protests. Euronews
- The legislation reportedly requires media and non-commercial organizations to register as "pursuing the interests of a foreign power" if they receive more than 20% of their budget from abroad. Dw.Com
- During a speech in favor of the bill, the leader of the ruling Georgian Dream party, Mamuka Mdinaradze, was punched in the face by opposition member of parliament Aleko Elisashvili. The incident led to a brawl involving several lawmakers. Al Jazeera (LR: 2 CP: 1)
- While Pres. Salome Zourabichvili is reportedly expected to veto the bill should it pass in Parliament, Zourabichvili's term ends this year, after which all members of parliament will vote on her successor. ABC News
Pro-establishment narrative:
- The latest protests are impressive proof that Georgians prefer a democratic and prosperous future within the Euro-Atlantic family to the regressive Moscow-style autocratic model. By merely renaming the foreign agents bill, Tbilisi is breaching its commitment to scrap its threat to press freedom ahead of the upcoming elections. The infamous law must be withdrawn immediately to prevent jeopardizing Georgia's EU integration.
CIVIL GEORGIA
Establishment-critical narrative:
- Contrary to what Western media suggest, it's not the Georgian people protesting against the bill, but the followers of the Western-backed opposition. It should also be noted that the so-called "Russian law" is not inspired by Russian legislation, but rather by the 1938 US Foreign Agents Act — though the Georgian equivalent is far more limited. The West has nothing to offer but empty promises, and it's up to Georgians to decide which path to take.
RT (LR: 3 CP: 1)
Nerd narrative:
- There is a 5% chance, that Georgia will control South Ossetia and Abkhazia before 2028, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
METACULUS (LR: 3 CP: 3)