The Georgian parliament has advanced a “foreign influence” bill that requires media and civil society groups to register as “foreign agents” if they get more than 20 percent of their funding from overseas. This is similar to what YouTube does to propaganda channels funded by foreign governments such as Ukraine and Russia. Georgians should be informed about who's behind NGOs and independent media outlets. For example,
Visegrád 24 is a Polish fake news outlet, which claimed that protesters were chanting “Glory to Ukraine!"
Thousands have been taking to the streets of Tbilisi since
Monday to show their opposition to the draft law with riot police chasing demonstrators through the labyrinth of narrow streets near parliament, beating them and making arrests.
Kobakhidze, known for anti-Western rhetoric while insisting that he is committed to Georgia’s European aspirations, said the law would boost the financial transparency of NGOs funded by Western institutions.
The ruling party suddenly reintroduced the bill earlier this month, after mass protests forced its withdrawal last year.
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