The government wants more control, civil society fears for its freedoms. The protests in Georgia appear to have reached a new peak in violence.
In Georgia in the South Caucasus, police used force against a crowd of peaceful demonstrators on Tuesday evening. The protests, which have been going on for weeks, are directed against government plans to prevent alleged foreign influence on civil society.
The emergency services used tear gas and water cannons to push the demonstrators away from the parliament in the capital Tbilisi and cleared the main street, Rustaveli Prospekt. Numerous people were arrested. Several journalists were attacked, including an AFP photographer. Georgian media reported that several people were injured. The police said that the rally was no longer peaceful. Public order must be restored.
Brutal scenes
Images on social media showed violent scenes, including protesters in Tbilisi being brutally beaten, pushed back and taken away by masked riot police. The recordings have not yet been independently verified. Observers accused the government of jeopardizing Georgia’s democracy and of being in cahoots with the Russian government.
The leader of the largest opposition party, the United National Movement of imprisoned ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili, needed medical attention. Local television stations showed footage showing his face with missing teeth.
Pro-European President Salome Zurabishvili, who is very critical of the ruling party, called on the Interior Minister to immediately end the crackdown on the peaceful demonstration and “the use of disproportionate force.”
The point of contention is the law on “foreign influence”
The draft stipulates that non-governmental organizations must disclose foreign sources of funding. The ruling Georgian Dream party says it wants to ensure more transparency and control foreign influence in this way.
According to critics, the law should be used to control civil society, as in Russia. Many projects to promote democracy in Georgia are financed by the West, including the EU and the USA. Critics fear that this law will be misused following the Moscow model to stop the flow of money and persecute pro-Western forces.
A vote is expected on Wednesday. The bill was approved in its first reading in mid-April.
Billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili is the party’s strong man
The protests in the former Soviet republic, which is a candidate for EU membership, have been going on for weeks. There will be a parliamentary election in the fall. On Monday, the ruling party brought together around 100,000 supporters for a rally in Tbilisi. The party’s strong man, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, gave a speech that announced a clearly authoritarian course.
Before his party’s government from 2012, Georgia was run by foreign agents of influence, he said. Ivanishvili called the opposition National Movement “a single criminal and treasonous group” and threatened to hold them accountable after the election. The former head of government accused the West of using Georgia and Ukraine as cannon fodder in the fight against Moscow.
The EU and many of its member states have sharply criticized the planned law on so-called foreign agents. Last year, the leadership in Tbilisi put the draft on ice in the face of mass protests. With the new attempt, Ivanishvili and Prime Minister Iraqi Kobachidze are determined to introduce the law. President Salome Zurabishvili is on the side of the mostly young, pro-European demonstrators.
