Georgia's ruling party, Georgian Dream, says it will reintroduce a controversial "foreign agent" bill that was pulled last year amid massive protests over fears the legislation, which mirrored a similar law in Russia, would severely restrict dissent and the activity of civil society groups in the country and push it toward authoritarianism.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, the executive secretary of the party, said on April 3 that the text of the new bill will be similar to the previous version, with only some minor changes.
"Instead of using the phrase 'agent of foreign influence,' the phrase 'organization carrying the interests of a foreign power' will be used. All other parts of the draft law are unchanged," Mdinaradze said.
In March 2023, parliament began readings to approve the draft, but it abruptly halted the process after Georgian Dream announced it was withdrawing the proposed legislation in the face of the protests.
Tens of thousands of protesters who had taken to the streets of the Georgian capital over the legislation were met by heavily armed police that used tear gas, stun grenades, and water cannons to break up the demonstration. Dozens of people were detained.
Parliament took up the "foreign agents" legislation despite warnings from critics that the bill, which would force civil society organizations that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to be classified as "foreign agents," mirrors Russian legislation that has been used to stifle opposition voices and the independent media.
Georgian Dream officials said the legislation was aimed at bringing transparency.
In Georgia, anti-Russian sentiment can often be strong. Russian troops still control around one-fifth of Georgia's territory, most of it taken during a lightning war in 2008 that was ostensibly about breakaway efforts in two northeastern regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
While Georgian Dream deescalated the crisis by withdrawing the legislation, tensions persist over the ruling party and its opponents' competing visions for the heavily polarized Caucasus country and its nearly 5 million residents.
The opposition has often criticized Georgian Dream for being too closely aligned with Moscow and the Kremlin's current war against another former Soviet republic, Ukraine, has heightened those concerns.
The legislation prompted rebukes from several corners, including diplomats from the European Union and the United States.
Georgia has been moving toward joining the European Union but EU officials said the "foreign agent" law would complicate that membership path. Last year, the bloc declined to grant candidate status to Georgia, citing stalled political and judicial reforms.
President Salome Zurabishvili said last year during the crisis that she would veto the bill, although parliament can override her veto.