Georgia to drop foreign agents bill after massive protests

By SOPHIKO MEGRELIDZE
Associated Press

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Georgia’s ruling party says it will withdraw a bill that opponents warned would stifle dissent and curtail media freedoms. Thursday’s announcement comes after days of massive protests demanding the proposal be dropped. The bill would have required media and nongovernmental organizations that receive over 20% of their funding from foreign sources to register as “agents of foreign influence.” Its opponents argued that it was inspired by a similar law in Russia that is used by authorities there to silence critics and that it could hinder Georgia’s aspirations to join NATO and the European Union. Protests of the bill began last week, but swelled in recent days to bring tens of thousands of people to the streets of the capital, Tbilisi. They were met with tear gas and water cannons.