
In an attempt to stop a contentious bill from passing, protesters in Georgia stayed up late into the morning.
Following a confrontation with demonstrators outside the Tbilisi parliament, security personnel left the city’s central plaza early on Monday.
Protesters are against a contentious bill that has been dubbed the “Russia law” by those who oppose it.
On Monday, the bill’s third and final reading will be heard by Georgian MPs.
The bill specifically targets independent media outlets and civil society organizations that receive foreign funding.
Protesters fear Georgia’s chances of joining the European Union would be harmed and that the law will be used by the government to crack down on dissent.
Tens of thousands of protestors camped out in front of Tbilisi’s parliament building, dancing through the nighttime rain.
Shouts and slogans of “slaves” and “Russians” greeted governing party lawmakers as they arrived before the session on Monday morning.
To stop protesters from preventing lawmakers from entering the parliament building to adopt the new law, ranks of police with shields and water cannons were stationed at the building.
There looked to be violent altercations between protesters and police in photos and videos that were posted online.
Twenty people were detained during rallies, including two US nationals and one Russian, according to Russian official news, which cited the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Throughout the legislative session, protestors want to keep making noise in the hopes that it would persuade lawmakers to rethink their vote on the bill.
The bill’s opponents claim that the actions are modeled after Russian laws that were passed in 2012 and have subsequently been applied to repress critics of the Kremlin.
If more than 20 percent of the money for non-governmental organizations and the media comes from outside the country, this proposed legislation would require them to register as “organizations serving the interest of a foreign power.”
According to the ruling Georgian Dream party, the proposal would protect Georgia’s sovereignty and promote transparency.
Despite the large protests that started almost a month ago, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze declared on Sunday that his party will successfully enact it into law.
The leaders of the nation’s opposition have called on Foreign Secretary David Cameron to speak out against the bill and requested the UK to take further action against it.
The US demanded an independent inquiry into allegations of “harassment and physical assault” last week, expressing its “deeply troubled” response to the way demonstrators were treated.
The president of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stated that the people of Georgia aspire to a “European future” and urged lawmakers to “stay the course on the road to Europe”.
Georgia was given candidate status by the EU in December, but the bill has raised concerns that it would impede further advancements within the organization. (BBC)
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