Georgia’s parliament, dominated by the ruling Georgian Dream party, officially scrapped the Foreign Agents Bill today, following massive protests against its passage at first reading last Tuesday.
Georgian Dream and the People’s Force movement announced on Thursday that they were revoking the plan, denounced by the opposition as an instrument of repression of dissent, just like Russia is doing with a similar law.
Without an embargo, the statutory provisions indicate that a bill that has been approved at first reading cannot be withdrawn and must continue to be processed until it is rejected or approved.
For this reason, the project was put to the vote today in a brief plenary session, during which the project received 35 votes against and only one in favor.
A second bill, which provided stiff penalties for those who failed to comply with foreign agent regulations and which was never considered by the legislature, was repealed by its sponsors.
Protests and clashes on Tuesday and Wednesday between protesters and riot police, who used cars that fired water and tear gas, left more than 130 detained and 60 law enforcement officers injured.
According to the Interior Ministry, most of the detainees have been released.