TBILISI – Tens of thousands of Georgians converged on the capital's Europe Square as protests intensified against a so-called "foreign agent" bill that has alarmed the country's Western partners for its perceived chilling effect on media and civil society and following an announcement that the United States will send a top official to Tbilisi to discuss the situation.
People began gathering around 7 p.m. on May 11 in three locations in the capital – in Republic and Marjanishvili squares and near the 300 Aragveli subway station – chanting "Yes Europe!" and "No to the Russian law."
As planned, various protest groups converged at about 9 p.m. at Europe Square in the heart of Tbilisi's historic district for what could turn out to be another mass demonstration of the type seen in the capital over recent days.
Reports of action by security forces were sketchy, and there were no immediate confirmation of arrests.
At Europe Square, protest leaders called for a large-scale demonstration and an overnight stay on the streets starting on May 12 amid reports the parliament will conduct the third, and likely final, reading of the controversial bill on May 13 before its passage.
"We've got to have this country united tomorrow. We need to be that and so much more tomorrow. Let the world see!" said poet Rati Amaghlobeli, one of the organizers.
Activist Gia Japaridze called for the release of all those detained during the weeks of protests.
"We must make our voices heard. We must demand the Russian puppet authorities release detained political prisoners," said Japaridze, a former diplomat and university professor and the brother of opposition leader Zurab Japaridze.
Earlier in the day, the U.S. Embassy announced that Jim O'Brien, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, will visit the Georgian capital, along with the Montenegrin capital, Podgorica, between May 14 and May 17.
"In Georgia, he will meet with representatives from government, civil society, and the private sector to express the United States’ enduring commitment to the Georgian people and to Georgia’s desire for a peaceful, prosperous, and secure Euro-Atlantic future," the embassy statement said.
The announcement came after dozens of members of the U.S. House of Representatives issued an open letter to Georgia's Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze expressing "grave concern" and "strongly" urging his government to withdraw the bill.
The bill's sponsors from the ruling Georgian Dream party have said it could be approved in a final reading as soon as May 13.
The 29 U.S. lawmakers call it a "harmful bill" that would "undermine the will of the Georgian people who seek a future in the West," and they reject comparisons to decades-old U.S. legislation.
They say "in no uncertain terms" that its passage and further moves toward "Russian-style authoritarianism...would cause the United States to fundamentally reassess the nature of our relationship."
Their concerns are amplified by the Georgian Dream government's "response to peaceful protests," they say in the May 10 letter.
Weeks of protests against what critics call "the Russian law" -- legislation pushed by the ruling Georgian Dream party, despite widespread anger from much of the country and criticism abroad -- have led to strong police actions, while roving bands of thugs have targeted demonstrators.
Riot police have used tear gas and water cannons against demonstrators, and protesters and journalists have shown injuries consistent with the use of rubber bullets, despite officials' denials.
WATCH: At a Europe Day celebration in Tbilisi, EU Ambassador Pawel Herczynski told a crowd of Georgians to "keep the course toward the EU."
The bill's backers appear to control sufficient votes for passage and possibly to override a veto that has been promised by President Salome Zurabishvili.
In a joint letter issued on May 10, the 18 media and rights organizations, including the International Press Institute, said the proposed legislation, which recently passed in its second reading in parliament, "provides the authorities with a powerful tool to discredit, pressure, and eventually silence independent voices, thereby threatening press freedom and freedom of expression."
In an indication of dissent inside the Georgian government, the country's ambassador to France, Gotcha Javakhishvili, resigned in protest against the so-called “foreign agent” bill, becoming the first senior official to do so.
"I no longer see my role and resources in this direction: the move towards Europe," Javakhishvili said on social media.
The controversial bill says media outlets, NGOs, and other nonprofits must register as "pursuing the interests of a foreign power" if more than 20 percent of their funding comes from abroad.
EU officials have said the bill could be a significant setback to Tbilisi's membership bid.
An earlier version of the bill was introduced by Georgian Dream allies last year but withdrawn amid public outcry.
Critics say it is modeled after decade-old "foreign agent" legislation that Russian President Vladimir Putin has used to crush dissent and punish independent institutions.
Kobakhidze's government insists the law is in line with EU standards and is only intended to increase "transparency" and prevent "harmful foreign influence" in the country's political scene.
The 29 members of the U.S. Congress complain in their letter to Kobakhidze of "the proposed bill's similarities to a law against 'foreign agents' enacted in Russia by Vladimir Putin in 2012, which was also justified under the guise of 'transparency.'"
"The situation in Georgia is clear," they warn. "The government can choose to listen to the voices of the Georgian people or continue down a dark road to Russian-style authoritarianism."
