Police use tear gas to disperse thousands of protesters who have gathered in Tbilisi against the controversial law

Georgian police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse tens of thousands of people who demonstrated on Wednesday March 8 against a bill targeting the media and NGOs. Authorities ordered demonstrators gathered in front of parliament to disperse, then used gas and water cannons, an AFP reporter at the scene said.

Flags of Georgia and the European Union were waved. “No to Russian law!”The crowd, invited by several NGOs and opposition groups, chanted in reference to the bill, which was adopted by Georgian representatives on Tuesday in the first reading.

A text similar to Russian law

The text provides that companies receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad are obliged to register“Foreign Agents”subject to penalty. He recalled a similar law adopted in Russia in 2012 and used by the Kremlin. Suppress the media and opposition organizations or simple critical voices.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday “Democratic Victory” For the protesters. For their part, the United States has accused Georgian officials of “”“Peaceful Struggle”. The former Soviet republic, marked by a war against Russia in 2008, aims to join the European Union and NATO. However, recent government actions have cast doubt on these aspirations.