Watchdog

Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili has signed an antidiscrimination bill into law.

The law went into force after it was published on the state online registry of legal acts on May 7.

Meanwhile, on May 6, the head of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Ilia II, said of the bill that the legalization of "illegality is a huge sin" and it will be rejected by believers, as it includes "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" on the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination.

The legislation was adopted by lawmakers on May 2.

Adoption of the antidiscrimination law is one of the requirements that Georgia has undertaken under its Visa Liberalization Action Plan in order to be granted short-term visa-free regime by the European Union.

With reporting by civil.ge

Police have detained several activists who were trying to hold a rally on Moscow's Bolotnaya Square on the second anniversary of unrest that broke out there.

The Russian rights website ovdinfo.org reported 12 activists and one journalist were taken into custody on May 6 after they unfurled banners on Bolotnaya Square.

Moscow city authorities had warned in advance they would not permit any rallies on the square to mark the two-year anniversary.

On May 6, 2012, Russian opposition groups staged the "March of Millions" that ended in clashes between demonstrators and police on and around Bolotnaya Square.

The violence took place on the eve of Vladimir Putin's inauguration for a third term as president.

More than 400 people were detained, 28 were put charged for their parts in the unrest.