Protests in the Georgian Capital After Violent Clashes with Police

Thousands protested in the Georgian capital Tbilisi for the second consecutive day, organizing marches outside the parliament against the "foreign agents" law, which critics claim indicates an authoritarian shift. As night fell, police used water cannons and sound bombs to disperse dozens after they breached a metal barrier set up near the parliament. Lawmakers approved the first reading of the bill on Tuesday, which requires any organization receiving more than 20% of its funding from abroad to register as a "foreign agent," or face hefty fines. The ruling Georgian Dream party stated that "the bill follows a U.S. legislation dating back to the 1930s." Opponents, including President Salome Zourabichvili, argue that it "reminds them of a Russian law used by the Kremlin to extensively suppress dissent and could harm Georgia's chances of joining the European Union." In violent clashes on Tuesday evening, protesters threw Molotov cocktails at the police and pelted them with stones; the police responded with tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowds. The Interior Ministry announced it had detained 77 individuals.