Georgia's Parliament advanced a bill that critics fear could restrict media freedom and jeopardize the country's EU membership bid. The proposed law, which has sparked mass protests in the capital, Tbilisi, would require media and noncommercial organizations to register as 'pursuing the interests of a foreign power' if they receive over 20% of funding from abroad.
The ruling Georgian Dream party reintroduced the bill, which had been withdrawn last year following public outcry. Despite ongoing demonstrations denouncing the legislation as reminiscent of Russian laws targeting independent media, 83 out of 150 lawmakers approved the bill in its second reading.
