Georgia to drop foreign agents law after massive protests

By SOPHIKO MEGRELIDZE and DASHA LITVINOVA
Associated Press

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Georgia’s governing party says it will withdraw a bill that opponents warned would stifle dissent and curtail media freedoms, ushering in Russian-style repression. Thursday’s announcement comes as tens of thousands of people demonstrated against the proposal. They were met with tear gas and water cannons. The bill would have required media and nongovernmental organizations that get over 20% of their funding from foreign sources to register as “agents of foreign influence.” Opponents say it was inspired by a similar law used in Russia to silence critics and that it could hinder Georgia’s aspirations to join NATO and the European Union.