In Georgia, in the first reading, they approved a bill on "

The draft was supported in the first reading by the ruling Georgian Dream party. The discussion took place against the backdrop of protests in front of the parliament building.. 76 out of 139 deputies voted “for” and 13 “against”.

The adopted version of the bill on foreign agents provides that non-profit legal entities and the media will receive the status of agents of foreign influence if more than 20% of their income comes from abroad. Such organizations must be registered; if they refuse to do this, they will be fined and the Ministry of Justice will have the right to start an investigation against them.

After the bill was approved, the situation on Rustaveli Avenue near the parliament building escalated: the police brought up a water cannon and, dispersing the protesters, began to use tear gas against them. Dozens of activists detained.

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, who is in the United States, canceled all scheduled meetings and is preparing an appeal to the nation.

Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili defended the initiative, saying the country lacks transparency and accountability.

“The future of our country does not and will not belong to foreign agents and servants of a foreign state, the future of our country and people belongs to the patriots,” he said, echoing Putin’s rhetoric.

The US State Department has already stated that they do not exclude the possibility of imposing sanctions against representatives of the Georgian authorities due to the situation around the law on “foreign agents”.