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Georgian lawmakers brawl as ‘foreign agent’ bill, that sparked protests, approved in parliament

  • Lawmakers voted 84 to 30 to pass the law in its third and final reading
  • The bill requires media, NGOs and other non-profits to register as ‘pursuing the interests of a foreign power’ if they receive more than 20% of funding from abroad

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A protester waves a Georgian flag while wearing the European flag in front of policemen blocking a street during a rally against a draft bill on ‘foreign agents’ near the Parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia on Tuesday. Photo: EPA-EFE

The Georgian parliament on Tuesday approved in the third and final reading a divisive bill that sparked weeks of mass protests, with critics seeing it as a threat to democratic freedoms and the country’s aspirations to join the European Union.

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Lawmakers voted 84 to 30 to pass the law – thought not before a brawl broke out between lawmakers.

Georgian Dream MP Dimitry Samkharadze was seen charging toward Levan Khabeishvili, the chairman of main opposition party United National Movement, after Khabeishvili accused him of organising mobs to beat up opposition supporters.

The bill requires media and non-governmental organisations and other non-profits to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they receive more than 20 per cent of their funding from abroad.

The government says the bill is necessary to stem what it deems as harmful foreign influence over the country’s politics and to prevent unspecified foreign actors from trying to destabilise it.

Georgian lawmakers fight during a parliament session in Tbilisi, Georgia. Photo: Mtavari Channel via AP
Georgian lawmakers fight during a parliament session in Tbilisi, Georgia. Photo: Mtavari Channel via AP

The opposition has denounced the bill as “the Russian law”, because Moscow uses similar legislation to crack down on independent news media, non-profits and activists critical of the Kremlin.

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