At the protests in Tbilisi, law enforcement officers started arrests and used tear gas

PHOTO: ECHO OF THE CAUCASUS

In the evening of April 16, law enforcement officers in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, began to disperse a rally against the adoption of the draft law on the so-called “transparency of foreign influence”, which caused criticism from the West and society.

Source: “European Truth” with reference to “Echo of the Caucasus”

Details: During the clashes, the special forces pushed the demonstrators from the back entrance to the Parliament of Georgia.

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Tear spray was allegedly used against the rally participants. As a result, there are victims, among them the leader of the opposition party “Girchi-bolshe svoboda” Zurab Japaridze. Ambulances have arrived at the scene and are providing first aid to the victims, the “Rustava” TV channel reports.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, in its turn, reported on the wounding of one special agent during the action and called on citizens to disperse, otherwise “measures provided for by law will be taken against them.”

Riot police start detaining demonstrators in Tbilisi as protests against Russia-style ‘foreign agents’ law continue for second day in a row. pic.twitter.com/kTFajyxssO

— Formula NEWS | English (@FormulaGe) April 16, 2024

The discussion of the law on “foreign agents” will continue in the Parliament of Georgia tomorrow, April 17. Members of the ruling Georgian Dream party are likely to approve the document in the first reading at tomorrow’s session.

We will remind, on April 15, the parliamentary committee on legal issues held the first hearing of the draft law “On transparency of foreign influence” despite a wave of criticism from Western partners and indignation within the country.

The proceedings in the parliament were accompanied by protests and subsequent arrests of demonstrators.

The Chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Theodoros Roussopoulos appealed to the Venice Commission with a request to urgently provide an opinion on the Georgian draft law “On transparency of foreign influence”.