Georgia to drop foreign agents bill after massive protests

By SOPHIKO MEGRELIDZE
Associated Press

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Georgia’s governing party says it will withdraw a bill that opponents warned would stifle dissent and curtail media freedoms, ushering in Russian-style repression. Thursday’s announcement comes after days of massive protests against the proposal. 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 claimed it was inspired by a similar law used in Russia to silence critics and that it could hinder Georgia’s aspirations to join NATO and the European Union. Protests began last week, but swelled to bring tens of thousands of people to the streets of the capital, Tbilisi. They were met with tear gas and water cannons.