63 people arrested in Georgia during rally against ‘foreign agents’ bill

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Over 60 people were arrested by Georgian authorities during a rally on Tuesday night in the capital Tbilisi against a controversial “foreign agents” bill, the country’s Interior Ministry said Wednesday.

The ministry said 63 individuals were arrested for “petty hooliganism and disobedience,” and that six of its employees were injured to varying degrees during the rally, which lasted several hours.

Saying that protesters began to gather in front of the Georgian parliament at 6 p.m. local time (1400GMT), a ministry statement said they started blocking entrances into and exits out of the parliament building after approximately 9 p.m. local time (1700GMT).

“Despite multiple calls by police, as well as statements published by the Interior Ministry, not to block the administrative building and to continue protest within the frames defined by the law, they (protesters) failed to adhere (to) the instructions of the law enforcement officers and continued deliberate blocking of entrances,” it said.

The statement added that confrontation ensued between police and protesters, who “physically and verbally assaulted officers, threw various heavy objects, stones, bottles in their direction.”

“Violent actions on Rustaveli Avenue and in the areas adjacent to the Parliament building continued for several hours, due to which the police had to administer special means on a number of occasions,” it said.

The statement also said that Levan Khabeishvili, the head of Georgia’s leading opposition party, the United National Movement, also took part in “violent actions” at the rally, during which he was injured and then taken to a medical facility.

Khabeishvili posted a picture on X showing himself with a bloodied face and a black eye without any comment.

Mass protests flared up last month in Georgia after parliament began reconsidering a “foreign agents” bill submitted by the ruling Georgian Dream party.

The bill requires organizations, including media outlets, which get more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register with the state. It also obliges them to publish annual financial reports.

The bill, first introduced in March 2023, was initially shelved after it triggered mass protests resulting in the arrest of 66 people and injuries to more than 50 law enforcement officers.

Critics have said the bill would undermine democracy and have labeled it a "Russian law," meant to curb Western influence in favor of Moscow, but members of the ruling majority said it would boost transparency.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili declared she would veto the bill, but Georgian Dream can override the veto by collecting 76 votes, after which the parliament speaker can sign it into law.​​​​​​​