1 of 1 protesters in front of the Georgian Parliament in Tbilisi March 9, 2023 — Photo: Portal IRAKLI GEDENIDZE Protesters in front of the Georgian Parliament in Tbilisi March 9, 2023 — Photo: Portal IRAKLI GEDENIDZE
The protest movement in Georgia continues despite the government’s promise to withdraw the law that led to the protest. Thousands of people demonstrated again on Thursday evening (9) in front of the parliament in Tbilisi.
The bill would classify NGOs and communications tools that are more than 20% funded by foreign countries or organizations as “foreign agents.” The text has been accused by the country’s opposition of being inspired by a law used by Russia to repress opponents of the Kremlin regime.
This Friday (10th), the demonstrators interviewed by RFI were proud to have gotten the government to back down. Now they are demanding the release of 133 people who were arrested after the demonstrations on Tuesday and Wednesday. The goal is to keep the pressure on the ruling Georgian Dream party.
Parliament on Thursday evening began the process of formally repealing the law on “foreign agents”. But protesters mistrust the government, which has a history of breaking promises.
Georgian MPs rejected the bill during a session in parliament: 35 out of 36 voted to withdraw the text at second reading.
antirussian hand
The Kremlin and Russian diplomacy on Friday said the West’s “antiRussian” hand was behind the protests in Georgia, saying the events were a coup attempt.
The head of Russian diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov, said in an interview with Russian TV that the demonstrations resembled the 2014 Ukrainian revolution, known as the Maidan, which Moscow sees as a Westernorchestrated coup d’état.
“Events in Georgia are obviously orchestrated from abroad,” he said, referring to European countries and the US, believing that “the intent is to create a revolt on Russia’s borders.”
The Kremlin had previously said it saw the US “hand” behind the “antiRussian sentiment” of the Georgian protesters because Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, who is supporting the protests, was in the US at the time.
She “is not addressing her people from Georgia, but from America,” pounded Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
European aspirations
Adding to this law, many Georgians fear their government is deviating from its proEuropean aspirations and fear rapprochement with Russia.
The small country in the Caucasus with only four million inhabitants still bears the marks of the war lost against Russia in 2008.
A Kremlin spokesman said on Friday that Russia had “nothing to do” with the controversial draft law, adding that Moscow “does not interfere in Georgia’s internal affairs”.
Russia sponsors two breakaway regions in Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which it recognized as independent after the 2008 war.