Protesters throng streets of Georgia’s capital after parliament passes so-called ‘Russian law’

By SOPHIKO MEGRELIDZE
Associated Press

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Huge throngs of protesters blocked streets in the capital of Georgia and milled angrily outside the parliament building after lawmakers on Tuesday approved a “foreign influence” bill that critics call  a Russian-style threat to free speech and the country’s aspirations to join the European Union. The bill requires media and nongovernmental organizations and other nonprofits to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad. The governing Georgian Dream party withdrew a similar bill last year after protests. Renewed demonstrations have rocked Georgia for weeks. Georgia’s president has vowed to veto the bill but the government party has a majority sufficient to override it.