Protests erupted in Tbilisi after the Georgian Parliament approved the draft law “On Transparency of Foreign Influences” in its first reading. The law requires NGOs and media to register as “foreign influence agents” in Georgia every January if they receive more than 20 percent of their annual income from abroad. Demonstrators claimed that the law was anti-democratic and a Russian law. Tensions escalated when protesters tried to block all three entrances to parliament, resulting in the use of tear gas and water cannons by security forces.

It is believed that the law’s passage would limit Georgia’s freedom of expression and press and hinder the country’s Euro-Atlantic integration.