TBILISI, Georgia – Dozens of people were arrested in Georgia and an opposition leader was seen bandaged and injured, after police used tear gas and water cannons overnight to disperse the latest protest in front of Parliament against a bill accused of limit the freedom of the media.
Georgia’s Interior Ministry said 63 people were arrested on Tuesday at the demonstration against the law that would require media outlets and non-commercial organizations to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they receive more than 20%. financing from abroad. Protesters denounce it as “Russian law” because Moscow uses similar legislation to stigmatize independent media outlets and organizations critical of the Kremlin.
Protesters say the bill would undermine Georgia’s integration into the European Union, which granted it candidate status in December. The ruling party proposed a similar law last year, but withdrew it after tens of thousands of demonstrators protested.
Russia-Georgia relations have been complicated and turbulent since the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. Georgia joined international resolutions condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but it also became a main destination for fleeing Russians. military mobilization and political repression. Even Georgia’s ruling party has seen internal tensions over Russia.
On Wednesday, Georgian TV showed Levan Khabeishvili, chairman of the pro-Western United National Movement party, arriving at Parliament with bandages on his nose and forehead. Members of Khabeishvili’s party said he was attacked by police during the protests.
Purple bruises and cuts were visible around Khabeishvili’s left eye as he called on fellow lawmakers to cancel the project.
“If you are not interested in knowing how the leader of the main opposition party was beaten, then – for the sake of the young people who were injured, who were hit in the head and bruised – I want to ask you once again: even if I have not no hope, withdraw this law,” he said.
Deputy Interior Minister Aleksandre Darakhvelidze claimed in a briefing that Khabeishvili broke through the police cordon the night before and was injured while “resisting”. Darakhvelidze alleged that protesters and opposition leaders were “constantly committing violence.” Police broke up Tuesday’s protest after demonstrators tried to block the entrances to Parliament.
Earlier this month, parliament approved the bill at first reading. The debate continued Wednesday during the second of three required readings before adoption.
As protesters gathered once again, another opposition lawmaker, Beqa Liluashvili, published a live video from the Parliament chamber that showed lawmakers shouting and physically confronting each other. One threw a stack of papers at his opponents. Others were seen restraining colleagues.
“We don’t want the Soviet regime that our parents lived through,” one protester, Kato Salukvadze, told the Associated Press on Tuesday night. “I think everyone should be on the streets and say no to Russian law and yes to Europe. “
Opposition politician Giorgi Vashadze said on Wednesday that Georgians have the right to peaceful protest. Speaking to the AP, Vashadze classified the repression of rallies as “completely illegal”.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, increasingly at odds with the ruling party, harshly criticized the bill and promised to veto it if it is approved by parliament. But this veto may not be lasting, as the government party can override it and ask the president of parliament to sanction the bill.
The Georgian presidency, which has notably limited powers, is expected to move this year from a directly elected position to one chosen by an electoral college that includes members of parliament.
This story originally appeared on ABCNews.go.com read the full story
